Taunton soldier's body is returned home

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

Taunton firefighters saluted the hearse that carried the remains of Sergeant Shane Duffy as it proceeded down Broadway.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

The family of Shane Duffy, a soldier who was killed in Iraq last week, picked up his body this morning at Logan International Airport and carried it back to his hometown, Taunton, where the procession, which included police motorcycles and a fire engine, was greeted by people young and old who wanted to pay their respects, the city's mayor said.

"He is a hero for the ages," said Mayor Charles Crowley, who has known Duffy's father since grade school. "We gave him the reception he deserved as he was brought home by the family."

Duffy, 24, an Army sergeant, was killed just after returning to duty from a visit home. He was the first soldier from the community to die in combat in the war. His father, Keavin, is a veteran firefighter in the community.

The body was met at the airport by both a military color guard and a Taunton fire department color guard, said Crowley. And a Taunton fire engine joined the state and Taunton police who escorted the hearse back to the city.

When the procession arrived, a crowd including everyone from veterans and seniors to schoolchildren lined the main thoroughfare, waving flags and saluting as the hearse headed to a local funeral home, Crowley said.

Michael Sylvia, a deputy chief in the fire department, said the procession, which also included members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle group, included about 30 cars and motorcycles.

"It was a tremendous turnout," he said. "The family was very touched by everybody's presence."

Crowley said funeral arrangements haven't yet been finalized, but "we will do everything we can to make sure that he is given a true American hero's service."

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