GLASGOW — Spc. Ryan K. Longnecker, 20, was laid to rest Thursday morning at Glasgow Municipal Cemetery with full military honors.
“We honor and respect Spc. Longnecker in his service in the National Guard. He was an asset to his unit. He was enthusiastic and caring,” said Chaplain Capt. Jerry L. Shacklett.
During the service, soldiers from the 623rd folded the American flag while Follis Crow from A.F. Crow and Son Funeral Home played “Taps” on the bugle. Gen. Edward W. Tonini from the National Guard presented the flag to Longnecker’s mother, Pamela Boyd, and the soldiers extended their condolences to the family.
“Ryan was a loving, caring son and brother who always seemed to have a smile on his face,” Boyd said in a statement released earlier this week. “He enjoyed being a soldier and had planned on making a career in the military. The past several months have been very difficult for us, not knowing where Ryan was. While his being found has brought us some peace, we will always miss him dearly. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who supported us through this ordeal. Your kind words, thoughts and prayers continue to be appreciated.”
Military honors were given by the Kentucky Army National Guard, 623rd Field Artillery Unit.
The funeral procession left the funeral home at 9:30 a.m. for Glasgow Municipal Cemetery to bury the National Guard soldier whose remains were found at Camp Shelby, Miss., on June 3.
Longnecker was training with the 138th Field Artillery at the Camp Shelby, Miss., National Guard base when he went missing on Aug. 6, 2007, two days before his unit left for Iraq. He was 19 years old at the time.
His remains were discovered by a group of fellow soldiers in a secluded area on the 136,000-acre base, 12 miles south of Hattiesburg, Miss.
The case was first labeled as Longnecker being absent without leave (AWOL) and was turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service in February.
The case is currently under investigation by the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
“I speak for all of our citizen-soldiers and airmen in expressing our condolences to Spc. Longnecker’s family and supporting them in their time of grief,” said Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, Adjutant General for Kentucky.
In addition to his mother and her husband, Larry, he is survived by his father, Bryan Keith Longnecker of Milton, Ind.; four brothers and sisters: Tosha Boyd and Joshua Boyd of Glasgow, and Mike Longnecker and Elizabeth Longnecker of Milton, Ind.; maternal grandparents: Jimmy and Stella Bray of Glasgow; paternal grandparents: Marvin and Stella Longnecker; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
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Soldier laid to rest
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