10:09 AM CST on Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Steve Chamraz, News 4

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Ellisville, MO (KMOV) – A U. S. Army soldier killed in Iraq was laid to rest Friday morning, but the Wildwood soldier's funeral was the target of a protest group with a hateful message.

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A protestor from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas outside the funeral service of fallen soldier Peter Navarro or Wildwood.

The group is from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.  Friday morning they chose the funeral of Army Specialist Peter Navarro to make their message heard.

About twenty church members marched in front of St. Claire of Assisi Church in Ellisville Friday morning.

Some of their signs are too graphic to be shown on television, but their point is simple.  They say U. S. soldiers are being killed in Iraq because the government is tolerant of homosexuals.

A counter protest staged by a veterans group and other religious leaders shielded the funeral procession so the signs would not offend them.

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Veterans groups use a large flag to shield the funeral procession from the demonstration.

The Topeka group's leader says his message was still heard.

"We're not about political action, we're about preaching a message and we've done it. Now we dust the dirt of this city off our feet and move on," says Timothy Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Opponents of the group say the protestors are misguided.

"They're perverting the gospel, what they call the gospel. We're here to honor a veteran," says Pastor Tony Amato of Leesburg, Missouri.

About twenty protesters showed up on each side.  They were kept apart by two blocks and about 40 police officers.

In the past, some of these demonstrations have ended in violence, but both groups left the scene peacefully.

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