Jefferson County Sheriff defends Soldier's funeral procession

  • Published
  • By Staff and Wire report, STL Today
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. --  The Jefferson County sheriff has offered a stern response to a woman complaining she was inconvenienced by a procession accompanying a soldier's casket.

The woman wrote an e-mail to Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer, retired Master Sgt., 157th Air Operations Group, Jefferson Barracks, Mo., after she had a hard time driving around the procession escorting the casket of Sgt. William Woods, who was killed by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

In his response, Sheriff Boyer called the complaint self-serving and noted that her inconvenience was of little consequence considering what America's soldiers go through.

Sheriff Boyer's response has made its way to the Internet, where it is getting a strong reaction as it is e-mailed around the country by soldiers and military groups.

Sheriff Boyer is a Vietnam veteran and former First Sgt with the 157th AOG.

Sheriff Boyer said he sent a copy of his response to the complaint internally to sheriff's department employees so they would know his position should the department receive similar complaints in the future. He assumes some of the employees sent it on to friends and colleagues. From there, it landed on military, police and news websites across the country.

Sheriff Boyer estimates he has received more than 200 e-mails.

"She was a citizen who deserved an investigation and an answer to her complaint," Sheriff Boyer said. "I wrote it from the heart. It took me about five minutes."

Sheriff Boyer said he would not release the name of the woman who wrote the letter.

"It's not about releasing her name and allowing others to chastise her or cause her any more inconvenience," Sheriff Boyer said. "What it's about is, making people understand that there are people willing to sacrifice their lives so they can complain about things like that."

To read the original email correspondence check out the Web site at http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/localheroes/story/4CBF361CCA9F41328625762D0054CCCE?OpenDocument