Evansville Veteran Laid to Rest
By: Chris Veech
Updated: June 20, 2012
Friends and family said goodbye to a local veteran. Specialist Jason Smith died last week following a motorcycle accident in Evansville. Smith was a veteran of the Iraq War.
In addition to family and friends, members of the Indiana Patriot Guard Riders and Rolling Thunder were on hand to escort Smith's body from the funeral home to the cemetery. The Patriot Guard Riders and Thunder are known for escorting bodies of soldiers who die in combat, but organizers say they'll help anyone who served.
"Doesn't matter," said Jerry Blake of the Rolling Thunder. "He's a veteran, and it doesn't matter. He's a veteran, and if we get called out, we're gonna come out."
Earlier this week Smith's family put out a plea to help pay for burial expenses. The family says it received enough to cover those expenses, and it plans to donate what's left to the Red Cross.
