Story of the funeral:
The day of the Christopher Antonik
funeral I left home without eating. I
traveled to
By coincidence, I discovered I had parked next to a
friend, Mary. She had stopped to get things
for the police working the funeral who couldn’t leave their posts.
They had to keep an eye on our friends from Westboro.
Her husband had a mural painted on the side of his
truck in tribute to this happy Marine.
Christopher would be buried later this day about
100 feet from fellow Marine Jonathan Collins who had died in
So we finished our Egg McMuffins
and picked-up our flags.
Many venerable PGRiders
and a large number of local one-time PGRiders.
We lined both sides of the church entrance road
with our color.
Plus, we established a supplemental flagline. One flag,
two flag-holders.
The bad news is that we might have blocked the view
of the TV camera.
The good news is that Christopher’s family didn’t
want their grief televised anyway.
Then Christopher traveled the first leg of his
final journey, from the funeral home to the church. Mark, flying the Marine Flag, led the family
down our corridor.
The Marines moved Christopher into the church and
some members of the flagline followed. Some of us waited outside – all of the bikers
(except me) would escort for the final leg.
And some members of the flagline moved down
the cemetery route to join their neighbors.
All the best people in
Two Marines, perhaps father and son.
A well-dressed Boy Scout.
Her hat says, “U.S. Air Force”.
Her shirt says, “My son defends freedom”.
Mary.
His hat says, “USS Lexington”.
He wears his six decorations on his shirt.
Her shirt says, “Proud U.S. Army Sister-in-law”.
His hat says, “I served with pride”.
His shirt says, “Taking pride in the
I reached the cemetery ahead of the procession and
found a vantage point near a tractor sign.
Cows were moving nearby.
They belonged to David Behrens who insisted that
the hill of his front yard provided a better view of the road.
And so it was from Mr. Behrens yard that I
witnessed Christopher borne to his place of final rest.
The bikers led the hearse; the final biker, flying
the Marine Flag, was Mark.
Christopher Antonik was
an exceptional American. A few of the
many people who know that expressed themselves after his death. And perhaps these photos will record that our
inadequate gesture.
Since we didn’t tell him when he was alive, we
could only tell his family. But perhaps the
other exceptional Americans who serve our country in the Marine Special Ops
Battalion will hear us too.
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