Sgt. Lane is Laid to Rest w/o Incident

The funeral and burial of Staff Sergeant Randall Lane Wednesday was a solemn and dignified affair, although there had been concerns that a protest group might show up to mar the ceremony.

The Neoga native died earlier this month in Kabul, Afghanistan of a non-combat related illness believed to have been a heart attack.  The funeral was held Wednesday morning at First Christian Church in Neoga and burial followed in Swedish Lutheran Cemetery near Trowbridge.

There were concerns that members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas might show up to protest.  Members of the church say deaths of the military are God's judgment on the United States.  Rumors circulated even this morning that members of the church had spent the night in Vandalia with plans to appear at the funeral, but the group did not make an appearance.

A large group of Patriot Guard Riders accompanied the hearse taking Sgt. Lane to the cemetery.  The Patriot Guard Riders gather at the funerals of those who die while serving in the military as a sign of respect and appreciation for the service of the one who died.

Governor Pat Quinn ordered that flags in Illinois be flown at half-staff today in Lane's honor.

(THE PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS WERE ON HAND WEDNESDAY IN NEOGA TO SHOW RESPECT AND TO ACCOMPANY SGT. LANE TO HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE NEAR TROWBRIDGE)

Please look elsewhere on the website for photos and video of the procession that brought Sgt. Lane back to Neoga on Tuesday.