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The Marine lance corporal was riding in a Humvee in Al Anbar Province when the roadside bomb exploded.  He was on his third tour of Iraq.  

Posivio grew up on a farm near Sherburn and graduated from Martin County West High School.   The large crowd paid tribute to Posivio's strong ties with this rural part of the state and to his military service.  

 Veryl  Champine of Fairmont was one of the veterans who formed an honor guard outside the church during the funeral service.  He could see a mass of people and flags on the nearby street.

"It's really great to see, that street is 3,000 feet long, I know the town, I was an engineer,"  says Champine,  "and virtually every step of the way there were people shoulder to shoulder with the flag.  It tears you up."

Many of those flag carriers rode into Welcome on motorcycles.   More than 400 parked bikes lined the road a short distance from the church.   As they took up their positions on both sides of the street James Bono of Bloomington walked between the twin ranks giving directions.  

"All right guys did you catch that whole deal?", asked Bono.   "And we're going to tighten up a little bit more.  Great.  Hands on heart.  Salute if you're military.
It's about respect.  You guys all caught that over there?"

The bikers had nicknames like Cowboy, Irish, Red and Krash. While Bono kept order, a plane passing overhead dipped a wing in salute. With a shaved head, wrap-around sunglasses, backwards cap and black, leather vest, James Bono said he knew early on it was going to be a big day.

"I remember pulling into a Harley-Davidson dealership this morning thinking 'I'm going to be the first guy there at 4 a.m.,'"  says Bono.  "And there was half a dozen guys there.  Walk up, shook there hands 'oh yeah we drove from Ramsey.'  We have people that drove from Central Minnesota. We have people that have drove from across the border.  Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota.  Simply said: this is about honor and respect." 

The bikers are part of a group called the Patriot Guard Riders.  They were formed to attend soldier funerals picketed by members of a fringe Kansas church.  The protesters say the soldiers are being killed as punishment for what they see as too tolerant government policies on homosexuals.  After demonstrating Friday in Fargo, the group announced it would also be in Welcome.  Shortly before the funeral though the group changed its mind and stayed away.   Navy veteran Veryl Champine said it was the right decision.

"I can't believe that there are people that are that callous that just have no more respect than that,"  says Champine.  "Whether you believe in the war is immaterial, but you have to respect the family."

That respect was evident in the long line of mourners, who left messages of support for the family of Lance Corporal Robert Posivio the Third.  All praised the Marine's service, some had a personal touch.  One recalled happier times about Robert and his brother Daniel, who died two years ago in a car crash while on leave from the Navy.   The message said "each would take one of Chuck's feet to sit on and Chuck would have to walk stiff-legged so they could have a ride."  The depth of the family's recent losses combined with those untroubled memories shook friends and neighbors.  They came a long way emotionally and geographically to demonstrate their support.

Gallery

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Mark Steil

Author

Over 1,000 people turned out in the small town of Welcome on  Saturday for the funeral of a Marine killed in Iraq.  Robert Posivio III died May 23 when a roadside bomb hit his vehicle.  Members of a Kansas church canceled their expected protest at the funeral.

Protesters absent from memorial service for Marine

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