ARLINGTON, VA. - President Bush passed a startling sign on his Memorial Day drive into the burial grounds for thousands of military dead — "Thank God for dead soldiers," it read. Bush took action Monday in hopes that no more families see similar sentiments when they bury loved ones who died in the war.

Bush signed the "Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act," which was passed by Congress in response to the activities of a Kansas church group that has staged protests at military funerals around the country. The group claimed the deaths symbolized God's anger at U.S. tolerance of homosexuals, and its actions sparked outrage.

After signing the bill, Bush headed to Arlington National Cemetery for a ceremony to honor war dead.

Since it was not a funeral, the protesters were free to speak their minds — a small group held anti-gay signs near the entrance as Bush's motorcade drove by.

Across the street, a few people from the Washington, D.C., chapter of FreeRepublic.com, a self-styled grass-roots conservative group, held signs supporting U.S. troops.

Bush set a large wreath in front of the Tomb of the Unknowns and then said the nation must continue fighting the war on terror in the name of those have already given their life in the cause.

"The best way to pay respect is to value why a sacrifice was made," Bush said, quoting from a letter that Lt. Mark Dooley wrote to his parents before being killed last September in the Iraqi city of Ramadi.

Noting that some 270 fighting men and women of the nearly 2,500 who have fallen since the Sept. 11 terror attacks are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Bush said, "We have seen the costs in the war on terror that we fight today."

"I am in awe of the men and women who sacrifice for the freedom of the United States of America," the president declared, drawing a long standing ovation from the troops, families of the fallen and others gathered at the cemetery.

The nation can best honor the dead by "defeating the terrorists ... and by laying the foundation for a generation of peace," Bush said.

Bush signed a second bill Monday that allows combat troops to deposit tax-free pay into individual retirement accounts. Supporters of the legislation argued that rules governing these accounts were punishing soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq who earn only tax-free combat pay.

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A show of support

Sergeant slain in Iraq laid to rest in Athens

A small group of fundamentalist Christian protesters failed to mar the Saturday funeral of an Athens native who was killed May 15 in Iraq.

The funeral for U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Marion Flint Jr., a Clarke Central High School graduate, went peacefully under the guard of more than 100 motorcycle-riding military veterans and about a dozen Athens-Clarke police officers.

About seven members of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., protested the funeral outside Hill Chapel Baptist Church for 45 minutes before the 1 p.m. service. Westboro members say they believe soldiers are dying in Iraq as God's retribution for America's sins, such as homosexuality, and travel around the country picketing funerals such as Flint's.

As Flint's family entered the church, the protesters began chanting slogans, but members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group that travels the country shielding families of slain soldiers from protesters, held up flags and sang "God Bless America" to drown out the protests, said the group's leader, Gene Altman of Jesup.

Meanwhile, hundreds of counter-protesters, many of them with no connection to the Flint family, lined West Broad Street for blocks from the church, saluting as the funeral procession slowly made its way to Evergreen Memorial Park on Atlanta Highway about 2:45 p.m.

"I'm not pro-war, but I'm pro-America and pro-soldier," Athens resident Mike Meeler said. "I don't care what the cause is, there's no reason to protest at a funeral."

Like many lining the street, Meeler didn't know Flint or his family, but decided to come out after seeing news reports about Westboro and the funeral, and even encouraged customers at his hair salon to come as well, he said.

Police said they warned Flint's supporters that the Westboro protesters might try to incite a conflict so they could sue and make money. Counterprotesters said they made sure the day was peaceful, though some took out their disgust with harsh words and obscene gestures.

"A young man died so those people could do what they were doing," Korean War veteran Mark Johnson said. "That's the difficulty, making sure there was no violence."

Flint's family said they didn't notice the Westboro protesters, but appreciated the outpouring of support.

"It was shocking to see all the people with signs as we were passing by," said Flint's sister, Tiffany Smith.

"What he did, this was exactly what we wanted for him," Smith said. "This homegoing was the perfect homegoing for him."

The funeral drew so many mourners that, even though the family used the larger Hill Chapel rather than their own smaller Chestnut Grove Baptist Church, there still wasn't enough room for everyone.

"Everything's full, the seats, the aisles," said Flint's uncle, John Smith, as he stood outside during the service. "There's hundreds in there."

Pastor Wilson Lattimore of Chestnut Grove delivered the sermon at the funeral, and honored Flint's athleticism, competitiveness and moral character, Tiffany Smith said.

Flint, 29, was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq, and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, based in Fort Carson, Colo. He and another soldier were killed Monday when a bomb exploded near his vehicle while patroling near Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad.

If Flint had lived, he would have moved to North Carolina when his tour ended in November to be with his wife, LaShaviea, daughter Dyamond, 11, and son Malik, 3, Tiffany Smith said. He wanted to become a long-haul truck driver, she said.

Flint was the eighth soldier from Northeast Georgia to die since the Iraq war began in March 2003. Others include 2003 University of Georgia graduate Noah Harris, Army Sgt. Bryan Lewis, Army Spc. Benyahmin B. Yahudah of Bogart, UGA student and Marine Corps reservist Bradley Arms, Oglethorpe County native Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Philip Scarborough, Army Spc. Tyler Dickens of Monroe and Columbus and Army Spc. Michael K. Spivey, who attended Winterville Elementary School.