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Joshua Munns - Home at last
Story and photos by Bruce Greenberg
Saturday afternoon a thunderous rumble on the road outside my house brought me to my Igo kitchen window. The sound grew progressively louder. About 50 motorcyclists roared by. Some bikes had American flags and various military branch flags that waved in the warm wind.
I recognized them as Patriot Riders. This was the first motorcycle procession to leave Joshua Munns’ funeral in Anderson and head for the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo for his internment.
Joshua Munns was a Shasta County Marine. He’d already served two tours of duty in Iraq when he returned to Iraq as a civilian contract worker. He was kidnapped in late 2006, held hostage and eventually murdered more than a year later.
He was 25.
Saturday his family, friends and community came to say goodbye.
Doni couldn‘t attend the service, so I grabbed my camera and notebook and left for my first solo assignment.
When I reached the cemetery I saw the motorcyclists who had recently passed my house. Their bikes were parked. They gathered at the cemetery’s entrance. They held flags attached to poles. We were among the first there.
The atmosphere was relaxed. The Patriot Riders swapped stories about their military service and the latest work on their bikes. While they chatted, a steady stream of people entered the cemetery. Cars and trucks lined both sides of Gas Point Road.
I spotted a helicopter in the sky north of the cemetery. It flew toward us, a sign that Joshua Munn’s funeral procession was approaching. The Patriot Riders suddenly stood at attention. They held their flags high. Conversation stopped.
The hearse appeared at the cemetery gates and entered. The crowd grew somber. The hearse slowed to a stop near a covered area. One car that had followed the hearse also stopped. Some people - later introduced as Joshua Munns’ family - got out and walked toward the hearse.
Marines in dress blues approached the hearse with an intense formality. Hundreds of faces across the cemetery grounds shared a single expression: Solemn. Some people cried. Others held each other.
Someone removed a box from the hearse that held Joshua Munns’ remains and handed it to a Marine.
For a moment if seemed as if everyone held their breath. Flags flapped loudly against the breeze.
The Marines moved in formation with Joshua Munns’ remains and a folded American flag to a covered area where a man spoke for a few minutes. The man introduced the Munns family and said a prayer.
The quiet was broken by shots fired in a 21-gun salute. Then the amplified strains of a bugle played Taps.
The crowd disbursed quietly. There was not much left to say.
After a very, very long journey, Joshua Munns was home.
Click twice on center arrow below picture to view slide show.
(Be sure speakers are on.)
Doni Greenberg contributed to this story.
Slide show by Jim Gore.
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Thank you, Bruce, for this well written story and beautiful pictures. We felt like we were there even though we couldn’t be. This whole situation in Iraq is such a nightmare for all! Our prayers are with the Munn Family and all our soldiers and their families. When will this nightmare end? We are losing so many of our young men and women and not just to death and terrible injuries but psychologically as well. The things they have seen and done in our name in this shameless war will haute many for the rest of their lives. A perfect example of this is all our homeless, drug addicted and mentally ill Vietnam Vets who were darling young people with so much promise before the war. Isn’t it shocking to see what we will do when we are scared. We will justify anything, at any cost, even torture. We will bankrupt our country financially and morally and continue to believe that we have the God given right to do so because we are the chosen people to lead the world. When will we wake up! Gods heart must be breaking.
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Hi Bruce & Doni…
As I have quoted Steve Allen so many times before,
“It’s called a medium because it’s so rare when it’s well done.”
Thank you so much for giving us a chance to ponder and grieve such a tragic loss to the dear Munns family and our community. My girls and I will now be able to say a very special prayer together for Joshua and his dear ones soon. I feel so terribly sad for them, all…
Well done, Bruce… WELL DONE!!
In Peace,
Alan
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Bruce–
what a wonderful tribute–thank you.
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I very much appreciate your writing this for those of us who wished we could be there but could not. Excellent story. And I couldn’t concur more strongly with Kathleen’s thoughts above.
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Bruce…..Thank you for that beautiful presentation of that special service for Joshua Munns. It was very moving, sad, yet joyous that Joshua is now home. Many prayers have been said for that family and we will continue to pray for comfort, peace and now closure. Thanks again for sharing such a special moment, you did a beautiful job!!! Love you, Carmen and Art.
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Totally awesome! Absolutely beautiful!
I was unable to make it to the funeral but did get to be counted, along with a grand daughter and a great grand daughter, among those who stood at the side of the highway holding our flags and paying our last respects to Joshua and his family.
Thank you, Bruce, for sharing this part of the ceremonies with us who could not be there.
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nice story but it do have to be a log story like this( Saturday afternoon a thunderous rumble on the road outside my house brought me to my Igo kitchen window. The sound grew progressively louder. About 50 motorcyclists roared by. Some bikes had American flags and various military branch flags that waved in the warm wind.
I recognized them as Patriot Riders. This was the first motorcycle procession to leave Joshua Munns’ funeral in Anderson and head for the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo for his internment.
Joshua Munns was a Shasta County Marine. He’d already served two tours of duty in Iraq when he returned to Iraq as a civilian contract worker. He was kidnapped in late 2006, held hostage and eventually murdered more than a year later.
He was 25.
Saturday his family, friends and community came to say goodbye.
Doni couldn‘t attend the service, so I grabbed my camera and notebook and left for my first solo assignment.
When I reached the cemetery I saw the motorcyclists who had recently passed my house. Their bikes were parked. They gathered at the cemetery’s entrance. They held flags attached to poles. We were among the first there.
The atmosphere was relaxed. The Patriot Riders swapped stories about their military service and the latest work on their bikes. While they chatted, a steady stream of people entered the cemetery. Cars and trucks lined both sides of Gas Point Road.
I spotted a helicopter in the sky north of the cemetery. It flew toward us, a sign that Joshua Munn’s funeral procession was approaching. The Patriot Riders suddenly stood at attention. They held their flags high. Conversation stopped.
The hearse appeared at the cemetery gates and entered. The crowd grew somber. The hearse slowed to a stop near a covered area. One car that had followed the hearse also stopped. Some people - later introduced as Joshua Munns’ family - got out and walked toward the hearse.
Marines in dress blues approached the hearse with an intense formality. Hundreds of faces across the cemetery grounds shared a single expression: Solemn. Some people cried. Others held each other.
Someone removed a box from the hearse that held Joshua Munns’ remains and handed it to a Marine.
For a moment if seemed as if everyone held their breath. Flags flapped loudly against the breeze.
The Marines moved in formation with Joshua Munns’ remains and a folded American flag to a covered area where a man spoke for a few minutes. The man introduced the Munns family and said a prayer.
The quiet was broken by shots fired in a 21-gun salute. Then the amplified strains of a bugle played Taps.
The crowd disbursed quietly. There was not much left to say.
After a very, very long journey, Joshua Munns was home.
Reply