By MATT BARNARD Staff Photographer on Sep 28, 2012, at 5:45 PM Updated on 9/28 at 5:45 PM
Army pallbearers Jason Wagner (left), David Durand, Travis Turner (front left) and Andre Stewart (right) carry the casket of slain Army Pfc. Jon R. Townsend during a funeral ceremony in Claremore, Okla. on Friday, September 28, 2012.
Mourners lined the streets of Claremore on Friday as the town remembered a young soldier killed thousands of miles away.
My job was to document the ceremonies for Army Pfc. Jon Ross Townsend, 19. He died in southern Afghanistan on Sept. 16 when his unit came under fire from an “insider attack."
Covering a soldier's funeral is always tough. I try be as discreet as possible and tend to use telephoto lenses. The last thing a grieving family needs is a camera in their face.
Community members tend to be accepting of photographers. They showed their support Friday with U.S. flags and signs honoring Townsend.
After Townsend's casket was carried to a hearse, the procession headed for the Lone Chapel Cemetery in nearby Adair. The small, rural cemetery was dotted with weathered headstones and ringed with trees. A church bell tolled in the distance as family members gathered at the grave site.
Below is a visual report from the ceremonies. For more information, you can read Jerry Wofford's story in the Saturday edition.
CONTACT THE BLOGGER
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CONTACT THE BLOGGER
918-699-8817
Email
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