Spc. Joshua Farris, 22, from La Grange was laid to rest Saturday in Johnson City. The Fort Drum solider was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
There wasn't an empty chair or a dry eye at the funeral for the fallen soldier. Strangers lined the route to the cemetery for Farris' burial. They paid their respects by holding flags on the side of the road.
They were all celebrating the life of a young man who had the will to serve his country straight out of high school.
"I'm humbled by these youngsters. They join the Army during the war and continue to stay with us," Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, commanding general of 10th Mountain Division, said. "This was his second combat tour in Afghanistan. He was a very special person."
But like all soldiers, Farris was more than just that. He was also a brother, cousin and son.
"Awesome kid, very talented, no fear. Greatest thing to happen to me. One of the greatest things to happen to me," Joshua's mother Marla Farris Calhoun said. "He did more in 22 years than most people will do in their lifetime, and I don't know quite how to express that, how proud I am of him."
Like Robbie Cooper, many whom attended the funeral didn't even know Farris personally.
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Soldier Burial
A funeral service was held Saturday for Specialist Joshua Farris of La Grange.
 
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"I think it's important that a nation stops and stands still and remembers and notices its fallen soldiers when they come home," Cooper said. "And that's the only reason I'm here is to pay my honors to a soldier that I never knew."
Farris was presented with two military awards at his burial, the Purple Heart and the Bronze star. Both awards are considered to be some of the military's highest honors. His parents accepted both awards in his honor.
For more on Joshua Farris' life, read his obituary in the Austin American Statesman.
