Thursday, 4:30 PM
Fallen soldier honored at Gardner funeral
By Globe Staff
A soldier with Massachusetts roots who died in Iraq was given full military honors today at his funeral in Gardner.
Ryan Jones, who was an Army first lieutenant, died earlier this month from injuries he suffered when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
Dozens of service personnel wearing their full dress uniforms lined the street outside the Holy Spirit Church, many carrying large American flags.
Jones' gray coffin, draped in the Stars and Stripes, was carried into the church by eight marines and placed in the middle aisle, where clergy replaced the flag with a flowing white linen sheet to symbolize Jones' baptism in his youth.
The soldier's parents spoke during the funeral, telling the crowd of about 600 people to keep smiling because that is what their son would have wanted.
"My son's many accomplishments would make any man proud," said Kevin Jones, the father of the soldier.
