Hundreds attend funeral for Indiana soldier

TELL CITY, Ind. -- Dozens of mourners were left standing outside as more than 300 people crowded into a southern Indiana church for the funeral of a soldier who was killed by a gunman in Afghanistan.

The Evansville Courier & Press reports that members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle group at services for Army Sgt. 1st Class Barry E. Jarvis were prepared for a planned protest by members of the Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church that failed to materialize.

The Rev. Elmer Shelby told the crowd at Deer Creek Baptist Church near Tell City that Jarvis loved his life, his family and his country.

The military says the 36-year-old soldier from the 101st Airborne Division was one of six soldiers killed Nov. 29 by a lone gunman from the Afghan Border Police.