A soldier from Beaufort County who died last week in Iraq was laid to rest Thursday.
Services for 20-year-old U.S. Army specialist Joel Taylor of Pinetown were held at the First Church of Christ in Washington. An estimated 700 mourners filled the church. Taylor died last week, along with two other soldiers, when an IED blew up their truck in Mosul.
Joel's brother John mourned his brother during the services saying, "I'm sure he will be busy being a guardian angel with never ending shifts. No days off and no relief in sight. Joel, I hope God assigns you a gate guard because I want you to pat me down when my time comes."
Joel's father Scottie said, "Son, I see you to your rest now, for there will come a day when we all will see you again."
As the funeral procession left the church, people lined the highway with American flags.