a newspaper man adjusts his pen

Thursday, April 29, 2010

A small town readies for a soldier's burial

Ted Dutton, left, and Bob Armstrong, both officers of Claysville American Legion Post 639, ready an antique caisson for the upcoming funeral for a Pennsylvania soldier killed this week in Afghanistan (Observer-Reporter photo)

From today's O-R:

CLAYSVILLE, Pa. – Ted Dutton spent the better part of today repairing an antique black caisson before it will be used for the first time to carry a soldier’s coffin to a grave.

It's about to be pulled to Claysville Cemetery by two Belgian horses and followed by one without a rider, representative of Nathan Kennedy, a local man who was killed this week in Afghanistan.

“We are going to do it top flight,” said Dutton, commander of the James R. Hunt American Legion Post 639 in Claysville.

The Legion post has never been called before in modern history to host a funeral for a fallen soldier, Dutton said. He’s preparing for a crowd of 5,000 to attend the upcoming one for the popular 24-year-old Kennedy, who was shot and killed Tuesday while serving as a sniper in the U.S. Army.

Let's hope it's the last time this vehicle will be put to use for such an event.

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