North Little Rock Soldier Laid To Rest

Mourners at the funeral for fallen Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Kordsmeier were told today that Jesus demands faith in return for his promise of eternal life. In a mass at St. Patrick`s Catholic Church in North Little Rock, the Reverend William Define also told the friends, family and military personnel on hand that a death is holy because it is God`s way of bringing his people back to him. The service was conducted in latin and included prayers not heard in that form on a widespread basis since the 1960s. Kordsmeier, who died April 24th during a rocket attack in Iraq, was a member of an Arkansas latin mass community. Many female mourners work black lace veils during the service. A standing-room only crowd filled the small church to pay final respects to Kordsmeier, whose casket was beneath a black shroud decorated with Christian symbols. Define told those present that at death -- quote -- "Life is changed, not taken away." A burial was scheduled to follow at the veterans cemetery in North Little Rock. Kordsmeier was one of five members of the 39th Infantry Brigade killed in the same weekend.