The remains of a U.S. Marine from Temecula killed by an ISIS rocket fired in Iraq were returned to Riverside County in a somber welcome on Saturday.
Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin died in Iraq last week from wounds suffered when his unit was attacked with rocket fire at a base in northern Iraq, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. He was serving in Operation Inherent Resolve, which is the military's campaign against the Islamic State.
Cardin's body was flown to March Air Reserve Base and then escorted by local law enfocement officials to a funeral home in Hemet. A sea of red, white and blue lined the streets during a procession to show respect for the fallen marine.
"It's nice to see this kind of support for military," said Jared Brummet, who is on active duty in the Navy.
"To bring one home like this very moving and sad," said one supporter said during the tribute.
A private memorial was also scheduled Saturday afternoon.
SSgt Cardin, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, enlisted in the Marine Corps upon graduating from Chaparral High School in 2006.
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He served 10 years in the Marine Corps, including three previous deployments to Afghanistan and one to Iraq. The 27-year-old comes from a military family; both of his grandfathers served and one of his brothers was in the Army.
Cardin will be honored at a public service at Temecula City Hall at 41000 Main Street from 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Friday. He is scheduled to be interred at Riverside National Cemetery.
The last U.S. service member killed in Iraq was in October 2015.
