Hundreds of family members and friends said their final goodbyes to a Quad City area soldier Tuesday, while others lined the procession route with flags to pay their own last respects.
Cpl. Bryant ''B.J'' Luxmore died June 10th in Afghanistan. It was his first tour of duty, he had been there just two months.
'He gave us his best, and unfortunately, he lost his life in a fire fight, but he was doing it for us'', said Eric Swanson, a veteran and member of the Patriot Guard riders.
More than 50 motorcycles escorted the hearse carrying the casket of Cpl. Luxmore from Sherrard High School to the cemetery in New WIndsor. He was a 2005 graduate, stationed out of Fort Steward, Georgia.
All along the flag-lined rural route, there were quiet tributes. One man stood alone on the side of the road, waving a flag outside of town.
In Viola, along Route 67, volunteer firefighters stood outside the station, with hands over their hearts.
Rick and Gail Rush were there too, with a giant flag. They lost their daughter, an Air Force veteran, in January.
''I think people need to know how important what these kids are doing and putting their lives at stake for'', she said. ''He gave it all and his wife gave it all and his parents gave it all. They all gave it all.''
Cpl. Luxmore was a husband, a father, a son and a brother. A former baseball standout, a leader, a soldier.
''We lost another man who stepped up to the plate. We've got less than one percent of our population that has ever served in the military, and he's one of those gentleman'', said Swanson.