WWW.KANSAS.

COM/NEWS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2008 „ THE WICHITA EAGLE 5A

ALEX ABOUT THIS

From Page 1A
Five weeks after Alex died,
Karen Funcheon picked up The
Wichita Eagle and read that
President Bush was coming
back to Wichita, this time to
dedicate the new Boys & Girls
Club and speak at a fundraiser
for Sen. Pat Roberts.
She went into the house with
sudden animation. Bob had
said Bush should have called
them, that he “owed’ them
that. Karen
agreed. She
and Bob both
still support-
ed the war,
and Bush
because of his
conservative
views and
faith. But
Funcheon with the war
going bad
and opposition mounting, they
wondered whether the dead
had died for nothing.
With the newspaper story
before her, Karen called a man
she thought could help her.
Sgt. Charles Austin Hilt of the
U.S. Army Reserves was their At Kansas.com/foralex:
Casualty Assistance Officer, the
„ Read earlier installments in the
soldier who had arranged for
series.
Alex’s body to come home. The
Army paid for the burial. „ Read e-mails Alex Funcheon
Hilt, an Iraq War veteran, wasexchanged with his parents during
“For your family.
“For the three guys who died.
“For Alex.
“Promise me.”
SERIES Medrano promised.
Eight days later, when the
Events described in these Funcheons mounted the steps
stories were drawn from of Air Force One, Karen carried
interviews conducted over Alex’s dog tags, and Bob car-
an 18-month period with the ried the despair he’d seen in
story subjects or from docu- Medrano’s eyes.
ments provided by the story
subjects, or were witnessed
by the reporter. Coming Wednesday:
In most cases where dia- President Bush agrees to
logue is used, the majority of meet the Funcheons.
the subjects interviewed
agree on the words that
were spoken. The exception Remnant Special!
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George W. Bush on Air VANITY TOPS
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Force One. That section
was reconstructed based
on the recollections of
Roberts, a former journalist.
Courtesy photo
TALK TO US Sgt. Gerardo Medrano was the lone survivor of the bomb that killed Jay Martin, Brian Botello
and Alex Funcheon.
The Eagle wants to know
what you think about these Sgt. Gerardo Medrano could he wondered if his Army career to live for.”
stories. Reach Roy Wenzl at barely walk. This little hike was over. Bob teared up again.
rwenzl@wichitaeagle.com or with his wife and kids into Fort They talked for a while; they Medrano cried, too.
316-268-6219. Carson’s chapel was the first let him go. And then, a little “Promise me something,”
time he’d gotten out of bed for later, he saw another family, Bob said. “Promise you will Bring Your Measurements To Our
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more than a few minutes. For the Funcheons, and went never ever feel bad for making 11/30/08
the short drive to the chapel, through another shocking, it out of there. 4325 W. Harry
his wife had buckled his seat painful conversation. “You’ve got to keep going Wichita, KS 67209
belt for him. What he saw in Bob Funcheon teared up strong. 316.944.8713
the chapel was harder to take when Medrano introduced his
than the bombing. wife, Rowena, Gabriel, 5, and
Botello’s family was there, Kallie, a year old. Medrano told

Christmas Day
ay
his overseas tour.
a soldier in an Army Reserve
finance unit who had never
served as a Casualty Assistance
„ Watch video interviews with
Bob and Karen Funcheon.
Medrano recalled later; and Sgt.
Martin’s family. He stood still, a
bandage covering his maimed
the Funcheons that Alex had
said, “Oh my God,” at his
death; that the suffering could
KW
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uffet
„ View family photos and images right hand; he was wearing a
Officer before. It upset him to do not have lasted long.
from Alex Funcheon’s platoon in Treat family and friends to a
it, but he won the Funcheons’ long-sleeved shirt in summer to He told Bob that he’d gone to
gratitude. Besides kindness, he’dIraq. cover burns; he felt weak and war twice in Iraq, two tours.
shown resourcefulness arrang- „ Read journal entries written by now sick with guilt that he was But he said this without pride.
ing the transport, cutting red Gloria Funcheon, Alex’s sister. alive. The army captain who He felt only despair.
tape. He steadied their nerves. „ Read and sign Alex Funcheon’s escorted Medrano told the fami- Bob said good-bye, and
Karen told him they wanted memorial guest book. lies that Medrano was the sur- began to turn away.
to see Bush. “Just five to seven „ Learn the story behind the vivor of the blast that killed “I regret that I made it,”
minutes,” she said. “And no series with Roy Wenzl. everyone else in the Humvee. Medrano blurted out. Succulent Prime Rib! Fresh King Salmon!
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There was a little pause. Medrano that they had no idea make it.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” HiltBob Sr., had been shot three until this moment that anyone Bob looked at him for a fresh colorful, delicious • FREE TABLE PHOTO
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Two days later, at the chapel Bob Sr.’s World War II dress what to say. him for the rest of his life. Always Memorable!
at Fort Carson, Colo., after the uniform. “I’m so sorry,” he said at last. “Don’t you dare think like
memorial service for Jay But since then, Bob’s brother Do they resent me? he won-
Martin, Brian Botello and Alex Donald served in Vietnam and dered.
that.
“You have a reason to live,
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634-1828
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Funcheon, Bob marveled at the came home to indifference and They stared at him. you’ve got these two little ones
wounded soldiers. There were sometimes hostility. Fifty-eight “Did they suffer?” one family
several at the chapel, hobbling, thousand Americans died there member asked.
missing limbs. They were all so for nothing, Bob thought. “No,” he said. “They did not
upbeat. But Bob saw they were He was interrupted when he suffer. They went quick. There
finished as soldiers. Several saw a soldier with a bandaged was no pain. They went fast.”
said they’d hoped to have Army hand hobbling toward him. Alex’s body had shielded
careers. What now? And what that man said Medrano from much of the
He felt his anger growing. shocked him. blast. But the shrapnel para-
Alex and everybody in that The families of the three lyzed much of Medrano’s left
Humvee had died, or so he dead soldiers had been led to arm and ruined much of his
thought. And now Bob saw believe that no one in the right hand. He still had shrap-
crippled men, some just kids. Humvee survived. nel in his body. He faced ortho-
Were these men crippled for But that was not true. pedic and skin-graft surgeries.
nothing? He would lose his right-hand
In World War II, Bob’s father, „ „ „ index finger. He was only 28;

DEFENDER Yost said he’s confident that

From Page 1A
Osburn said his office hasn’t
refused cases since it opened
more than a decade ago until
they made the decision late
Friday.
Public defender’s offices
throughout the state are
assigned cases of people who
can’t afford to hire their own
legal representation. They han-
dle felony charges and proba-
tion violations.
Yost said he had no other
option but to start sending
cases to private attorneys.
“We have an obligation
under the law to make sure
everyone has legal representa-
tion, and we need to do every-
thing we can to provide that,”
Yost said.
the private attorneys will be
able to get paid for their ser-
vices.
“They will have the courts
behind them,” he said.
A lack of state funding has
kept public defenders from
receiving the raises they asked
for to match what public
defenders earn in other states.
As a result, lawyers have
been leaving for private prac-
tice and to take jobs across the
street at the district attorney’s
office.
Osburn’s office, which has 22
attorneys, lost two lawyers
who went to work for the dis-
trict attorney’s office this
month, and he learned last
week that there wasn’t enough
money to replace them. Two
other attorneys are on extend-
ed medical leave.
Then there’s the caseload,
which has been increasing for
three years. Each public
defender handles an average of
nearly 200 cases each year.
The office took 4,342 cases this
past year, according to Pat
Scalia, director of the state’s
Board of Indigent Defense
Services, which provides fund-
ing for the office.
“We are hoping for permis-
sion to fill the vacancies with
the reduced budget,” Scalia
said.
Osburn said a month with no
new cases should help his
attorneys catch up in time for
the post-Christmas crunch of
criminal cases.
“Unfortunately,” Osburn
said, “January is always a big
month for us.”
Reach Ron Sylvester at
316-268-6514 or
rsylvester@wichitaeagle.com.

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