Frisco residents lined State Highway 121 near the Dallas North Tollway to salute a soldier who was killed last week in Afghanistan.
The casket of Spc. Peter Courcy, 22, arrived at the Addison Airport on Tuesday.
He died after a car carrying explosives hit his Humvee in Afghanistan. He was just two weeks away from coming home to his wife and infant son.
One Frisco resident said he wanted to show his support to Courcy's family because he had a son serving in Iraq.
Courcy's stepfather, Christopher Bush, said he was humbled by the show of support from the community.
"We were very happy to see everyone," he said. "It was nice. It helps with the healing process."
Friends of Courcy said he was an all-star athlete who played semiprofessional hockey and was a wrestler in high school.
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Courcy was a natural leader who died doing what he loved, friends said.
"He wanted to be over there," his best friend, John Bullis, said. "He had other routes besides the military. He was a great hockey player, a dual athlete. He was a wrestler. But it was his dream to serve in the military and protect our rights and our freedom. That's what he wanted, and I was so proud of him."
Courcy is survived by his wife and infant son. He will be laid to rest at DFW National Cemetery.
