Army Ranger Cody Patterson funeral service reportedly free from Westboro Baptist Church protesters
Friends, family, veterans and supporters flocked to Oregon for the Cody Patterson memorial service, heightened by the report that the radical church in Kansas was planning to protest.
The service for Patterson, an Army Ranger from Philomath who was killed in Afghanistan Oct. 6, drew an exceptional crowd partly because members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas announced plans to picket the service. Members of the tiny church have engaged in attention-seeking protests at military funerals, high schools and elsewhere, using the occasions to preach a shrill antigay message.
Westboro Baptist Church claims Patterson and other fallen soldiers died in vain, slain by God’s wrath for “the homosexual and other sins of America.”
“To deny us our First Amendment rights is to declare to the world that Pfc. Patterson died in vain and that America is nation of sodomite hypocrites,” the church claims.
Patriot Guard Riders and others came to support Patterson’s family and keep the area free from WBC protesters.
Many were alerted by several Facebook campaigns, including one calling itself “Cody, we’ve got your 6” — a military expression that means “We’ve got your back.”
Most said they saw no sign of the Westboro members, although they heard reports that they appeared briefly, then left after being told they weren’t welcome.
Little boy, Noah, protesting with Westboro Baptist Church in Texas photo Westboro website
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