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More than 300 people attended the service for Kyle A. Colnot, including more than 100 members of the Patriot Guard Riders, flag-waving Vietnam vets who travel around California on motorcycles attending the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hundreds Attend Fune...
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Saluting a soldier
Hundreds attend funeral service

By Emanuel Parker, Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

ARCADIA - U.S. Army Sgt. Kyle Colnot was described as a young man who knew what his life was about and thought he was making a difference by serving in Iraq.

Colnot, 23, of San Dimas and three other soldiers were killed April 22 in Baghdad when a bomb exploded near the Hummer they were riding in, causing a fire.

His funeral was held Saturday at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Arcadia. Colnot attended Arcadia High School part of his sophomore and junior years.

More than 300 people attended the service, including more than 100 members of the Patriot Guard Riders, flag-waving Vietnam vets who travel around California on motorcycles attending the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We want to pay our respects to what we refer to as a fallen hero and his family," said Jerry Zimmerman, a member of the group. He said the Riders attend a service every week somewhere in California.

The Rev. Roger Sonnenberg said as far as Colnot was concerned, life "was about service and making a difference. He was motivated by the satisfaction of serving. If you're not willing to lay down your life, you don't belong in the military."

Colnot's dress uniform hung on a rack behind his flag- draped coffin as music played and photographs depicting his life flashed on a screen.

They showed him as a blond infant and teen, playing with friends, siblings and his parents, fishing, swimming, playing his guitar, in Halloween outfits, posing next to his car and, finally, with fellow soldiers in Iraq.

As he matured, his hair went from blond to brown and he acquired several tattoos. Colnot joined the Army in May 2000 and served in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.

He re-enlisted in July 2004, knowing he would likely be sent to Iraq, which he was in November. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 67th Armored Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.

In 2002, the family suffered another tragedy when Colnot's 17-year-old sister, Korra Jean Colnot, was killed while riding in her 20-year-old boyfriend's car during an illegal street race in Ontario, according to police.

Denise Colnot, Kyle's mother, said her son's death has not dampened her support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following the hourlong service, Colnot was buried with military honors at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Covina Hills.

In an interview last week, Denise Colnot said: "It's important to remember he gave his life, he did not lose it."

emanuel.parker@sgvn.com

(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4475.

Copyright © 2006 Los Angeles Newspaper Group

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Caption for first photo:
Denise Colnot walks behind the casket with her son's remains during funeral services for U.S. Army Sgt. Kyle Arnold Colnot at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Arcadia May 6. 2006. Colnot was killed in Iraq on April 22 when a IED detonated near his hummer. (SGVN Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SXCity)