Jae S. Moon laid to rest

BEVERLY, N.J. — The sun came late to the funeral of 1st Sgt. Jae Moon on Saturday, but it was on time to sharpen the colors of the American flag that draped his casket as he was carried to his grave at Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, N.J.

The breeze carried his mother Ki's cries as 60 mourners gathered at the gravesite for a final farewell to Moon, who was killed on Christmas Day in Baghdad. The Rev. Steve Park, pastor of Jubilee Presbyterian Church in Conshohocken, offered words of comfort in Korean and in English.

Basing his remarks on Christian scripture, Park called Moon a “very strong young man” whose life was but a seed that would blossom to “a much more glorious existence” in heaven. He said believers must look for the day when life reigns forever, without pain or hurt.

The pastor prayed that Moon's sacrifice “be just an overture to the coming of the Kingdom” of God.

Moon's family broke down as Maj. Gen. John Defreitas III handed Ki Moon the flag that had adorned her son's casket and a U.S. Army honor guard fired a three-gun salute, followed by the traditional Taps.

Before the service, a funeral procession of 35 cars snaked its way from Philadelphia, up Route 1 and down Route 413 to stop in front of the Moon family's Dolphin Road home in Middletown. The N.J. State Police met the cortege at the Burlington-Bristol Bridge to provide an escort to the cemetery.

Earlier in the day, dozens of Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts lined Dolphin Road to salute Moon as his hearse drove by.

U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, R-8, had put out a call to the Scouts once he heard that the funeral procession would stop in Bucks before proceeding to the cemetery, said Scout leader Rich Yatchyshyn.

The skies were still iron gray in the morning as the Scouts, neighbors and friends of the family stood on the sidewalk and in driveways, many holding American flags in honor of Moon. Scout Bob Weinelt, a member of Troop 102, said the event made him think of his brother, Kyle McCullen, who's serving in Iraq.

Bob's uncle, James McCullen, said his presence was a chance to honor a local hero.

“It's a matter of respect,” said McCullen, a veteran.

On the route to the cemetery, small clusters of people watched the procession drive by. A group of flag-carrying motorcyclists gathered in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Oxford Valley Road to pay silent respects.

Moon was known to his neighbors as a young man who loved his family, his life and his country, said Helen Thompson, a neighbor of the Moons.

“I've know him since he was little. He used to stop after school and talk to me. He stopped to see me the last time he was on leave,” Thompson said. “I adored him.”

Shadows started to deepen over the cemetery as the service ended. Soldiers snapped to attention, prayers died away. The only constant sound in that peaceful place was Ki Moon sobbing, “Oh no, oh no.”

From the Courier Times

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