Funeral begins in western Pa. for Murtha, advocate for veterans and critic of Iraq war

By Dan Nephin, AP
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Funeral begins for US Rep. John Murtha in Pa.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Former President Bill Clinton and a congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are remembering longtime congressman John Murtha inside a western Pennsylvania church.

Family and friends have gathered at Westmont Presbyterian Church in Johnstown for his funeral. He will be laid to rest in a private burial following Tuesday’s service. Murtha died Feb. 8 at age 77 after complications from gallbladder surgery.

For Clinton, the funeral marked his first trip outside of New York since he underwent a heart procedure last week.

Murtha was the powerful head of the House appropriations defense subcommittee and a vocal critic of the Iraq war. He became the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress after taking control of the seat in Pennsylvania’s 12th district in 1974.

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