Representative John Espinoza

There is no greater pain than losing a loved one. Enduring the loss of a son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father to war adds another heart-wrenching facet to that pain.

Funerals and memorials for our fallen soldiers are being held all across Michigan. On the sad and somber day that these families lay their loved ones to rest, they deserve to grieve in peace.

Recently, a radical church group from Kansas has made headlines in Michigan by protesting at the funerals of fallen soldiers. The members of the Westboro Baptist Church picket soldiers' funerals, carrying signs with vile messages and shouting hateful slogans at those who gather to mourn. By trying to advance their own political agenda, they are inflicting more pain on families who already are reeling.

Our soldiers' families should not be subjected to hateful protesters on a day set aside for them to say goodbye. They deserve to have their pain and loss treated with respect.

I was proud to co-sponsor bipartisan legislation that recently passed the Legislature that would allow mourners to grieve in peace. The plan requires demonstrations to be staged at least 500 feet away from a funeral or memorial service. First-time offenders face up to two years in jail and a $5,000 fine. Repeat offenders face up to four years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

The sacrifices our soldiers make know no bounds. They leave behind their families and friends, the comforts of home and the safety of civilian life. When they die defending our country, they deserve to be honored and laid to rest in peace.

As much as we worry about our soldiers who are deployed all over the world, our soldiers also worry. They worry about how their spouses are getting through the daily routine without them. They worry that their parents are losing sleep over concern for their safety. They worry that they aren't there when their children need a pep talk or a shoulder to cry on. And, since all soldiers know there is a possibility they won't return home, they worry about what it will be like for their loved ones if they don't return.

Our soldiers have enough to worry about without having to fear that their death will leave their loved ones vulnerable to the hecklings of hateful protesters. It is demoralizing for our soldiers to think about their families being traumatized by such people.

I served in the Army for 20 years, and have known great soldiers who died defending America. There is a sacred and time-honored military tradition carried out at every funeral for a fallen soldier - the reading of the final roll call. During the reading, the commanding officer reads the names of everyone in the company, and each responds. The last name read is that of the deceased, and silence is the response.

On three occasions, I've read the final roll call. Each time it was both heartbreaking and an honor. At those ceremonies, we celebrated the lives of our comrades and their service to our country. We also remembered their families and their grief.

Both the funeral and the final roll call are traditions that have nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Politics and hateful protests have no place in a day set aside to lay our soldiers to rest.

State Representative John Espinoza represents Sanilac County and the northeast corner of St. Clair County, including the city of Port Huron. Contact him at 888-830-0835 or johnespinoza@house.mi.gov.