WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Body of fallen soldier returns home
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By WTOC staff
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - The body of Army Staff Sgt. Vernon Martin is back in Savannah. He died on October 3 during a firefight in Afghanistan.
It was a somber ceremony Friday afternoon as Staff Sgt. Martin's body arrived on a plane from Dover Air Force Base.
His American flag-covered casket was carried by seven soldiers to a hearse that will take him to Gamble Funeral Home.
Hundreds of people lined the streets between the airport and the Gamble Funeral Home as Staff Sgt. Martin's procession made its way through Savannah.
Neither the rain nor the sadness they felt kept these folks from honoring Staff Sgt. Martin and the ultimate sacrifice he paid for their freedom.
Staff Sgt. Martin was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado. Seven other soldiers from that same unit were also killed in the same attack.
He leaves behind a wife and three young children. Staff Sgt. Vernon Martin was 25-years-old.
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