It is with great sadness that I recognize that Lance Corporal Joshua Davis died in the service of his country. Joshua, a 2009 graduate of Perry High School represented the great promise of the United States. His desire to serve his country stands as a shining example for all of us to carry on in our pursuit of the American Dream. I offer my most humble and sincere sympathy to Joshua’s parents and family.
As for those such as the Westboro Baptist Church, I say, “Shame on you.” It is one thing to act in accordance with your conscience, and it is another thing to behave in such a callous and thoughtless manner. Your Christian values alone should tell you how wrong it is to protest in the face of another person’s grief.
The United States of America is a great country. We are great country because of young men and women such as Lance Corporal Joshua Davis. Let us all remember that Joshua died for the high values and purposes of this country as found in our sacred documents the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. Let us commit our lives to these high ideals and principles for which Joshua gave his life.
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There was no shortage of American Pride inside the H.S. gymnasium of Perry High School on Saturday, May 15, 2010. There were also no shortage of tears. Lance Corporal Joshua Michael Davis was killed in combat on May 7, 2010, in Afghanistan. Stories were told of a young man who was a hard worker, big dreamer, and - most of all - a patriot.
There was a story about when he was 16 and working, he was such a hard worker that the bosses wanted to give him a raise. This presented a problem since there were guys there who had seniority over him and they were not getting raises. So in order to give Josh a raise, everybody got a raise.
This hero was shot multiple times while doing what he was trained to do, doing what he was compelled to do, doing what he loved to do. Joshua was a machine gunner who was charged with engaging the enemy when they made themselves known. Without thought of his own safety he was laying cover for his brothers so they could get into position. He gave his life for those other men, for his family, and for his country.
Just before his funeral, there was a small protest across the street. This protest was made up of 4 adults and 2 children. The protesters held up signs that read, “God hates the USA," "God Hates Fags," "God Laughs at your dead soldiers," and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.” On the other side of the street was a counter protest that was made up of about 30 people of all ages who met the opposition's chants and songs with chants and songs of their own. While the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) group tried to antagonize everyone else with their hateful message and their desecration of the Flag of the United States, people drove past to enter the funeral. While the WBC succeeded in antagonizing a few people into shouting vulgarities their way, most people kept to their songs that they learned in Sunday School. The Perry Police, Iowa State Patrol, and the Dallas County Sherriff were also on hand to monitor the groups and to keep the peace. You see, WBC are well within their rights to protest these military funerals, they are well within their rights to make these sickening statements, and yes, they are within their rights to stand on, dance on, and even blow their nose on the American Flag. The police made it clear that they were not within their rights to incite violence or impede on others' rights. The WBC are well-versed in what they are doing; they are well-practiced in protesting funerals. This is a hate group, much like the KKK or the Aryan Nation, that misrepresents religion. While it isn’t funny what they do, it is refreshing to see the group that is five times larger standing up for the fallen soldier across the street, and it is a true testament to the pride and the appreciation that we have for our soldiers when there is a group that is 50 times larger inside the gymnasium paying their respect to the young man who was defending his country and defending those six people who have so much hate in their hearts across the street.
It was said that in a conversation with his family after he joined the Marines, the WBC came up. Joshua stated that he was going to fight for their rights as free people to protest and say those hateful things.
The WBC didn’t affect the hero’s sendoff that Joshua received on May 15, 2010, they actually intensified it.
Freedom of speech is a protection for the speech we don’t like.
~ Bill
