The United States Army will be there, but they will not send a rifle squad, an honor guard and general officer with aides. Probably just local volunteers.

Family will not be there. There is no family so there is no one to comfort. There is not even anyone to invite us to attend.

Our Friends from Westboro will not be there because they will be Tucson picketing the funerals of the victims of Jared Lougher.

There will be no bikes because there is no procession, the temperatures will be in the 20s and all Wisconsin is covered in snow.

And it is a weekday.

It will be the purest mission I have ever attended.

Wisconsin Statewide

This e-mail is sent by national at the request of John Curran, State Captain.

Confirmed Mission

No next of kin funeral at S.E. WI Veteran's Cemetery

RICHARD C KOSYDOR

US Army Korean War Veteran

Richard Kosydor recently passed away with no known next of kin.

For those who are able to attend, he will be laid to rest at:

Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery

21731 Spring Street

Union Grove, WI 53182

Phone: (262) 878-5660

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.

Richard volunteered to protect our freedom by leaving friends and family behind to join the Army. For any member who can attend, please be prepared with your own flag, and arrive at least 30 minutes early as scheduling is flexible. Advise the staff that you are there to attend the service.

Per our policy for these services, there is no RC assigned.

Contact State Captain John Curran (jcurran516@aol.com)

I didn’t know him – and, of course, I still don’t – but I made some calls.

Tomorrow, Richard will be buried in the Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

He died on January 7, 2011. Since then he has been in the care of Northshore Funeral Services.

For the previous week he had been a patient at the Seasons Hospice in Waukesha.

For the prior six months, he was resident at Cru Group Home Bayside Manor II.

I took this photo in his room at Bayside:

I learned that he traveled and that he took photos. Except for a couple of IDs, there were no photos of him. (Driver’s license says he was born 9/17/29.) There were many photos of landscapes printed 8 by 10 documenting his recent trips to India and Japan, and perhaps other places. I couldn’t tell. All I really know about Richard (other than his service in the United States Army during the Korean War) is the world as seen through his eyes, which follows:

click here for Richard’s funeral

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