The body of a Levy County soldier returns home

Amidst the chaotic media frenzy at the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville over whether Pastor Terry Jones would or wouldn’t go through with burning the Quran on September 11th there was a more somber event unfolding at the Gainesville Regional Airport. Army Specialist Jamie Page came home Thursday from Afghanistan, his casket draped by an American flag. The 23 year old was one of four U.S. Army personnel who died on August 31 when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device while delivering supplies. His family and friends from his hometown of Bronson, just west of Gainesville, were saddened by the lack of a “hero’s welcome” that has usually greeted other fallen soldiers flown home. WUFT-FM’s Trent Kelly talked with Kim Grawcock, one of the family members, who expressed not only sadness at the loss of her cousin, but outrage at the danger the Dove World Pastor was bringing upon American soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan and around the world.

[audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/SoldierFuneralQA.mp3]