Volunteers performing military funeral rites need new ride

MARION, Ill. (AP) - Bill Hatfield leads a group of volunteers performing military rites at veterans' funerals, but the 17-year-old bus he uses to get his team to gravesites is on its last legs.

The AC fails in the summer, a breakdown stranded the team at a cemetery on one of the coldest days of the year this February, and just how many miles the Bluebird diesel has racked up is a mystery - the odometer stopped years ago.

So the Marion Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Commander has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for a new ride.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reports (http://bit.ly/1TXaHRG ) that the group attends six to eight funerals a month.

Last rites include presenting the colors, playing "Taps" and firing a three-volley rifle salute.

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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.com