Md. town pays respects to soldier killed at mental-health clinic

FEDERALSBURG, Md. (AP) — A 19-year-old Maryland soldier who was one of five killed in Iraq by an Army sergeant at a mental-health clinic was remembered Thursday as a strongly loyal family member who excelled at making people laugh and enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Michael Yates Jr.’s love of the outdoors was underscored during the solemn ceremony as a long funeral procession went by vast farm fields on the mostly rural Eastern Shore. It also passed by one of Yates’ favorite fishing spots, where anglers were taking advantage of sunny skies to cast lures.

Residents of Federalsburg, where Yates lived, watched the funeral procession from their homes. Along the route, many businesses expressed condolences on signs. Residents waved flags, held their hands over their hearts and watched respectfully as the procession headed toward the Maryland Veterans Cemetery Eastern Shore, where a sign reads: “The price of freedom is visible here.”

Friends and family grieved during a short ceremony surrounded by graves adorned with small flags.

Yates’ father, Michael Yates Sr., said love for his son and anger at the continuing war were his chief emotions of the day.

“They need to bring them boys home ... it should have been over,” Yates, of Glen Burnie, said at the cemetery.