People line highway for Mass soldier's procession

WEYMOUTH, Mass. — A procession made its way from Augusta, Maine to Weymouth Thursday for a Massachusetts soldier who died on a hunting trip in Maine.

Staff Sgt. Sean Christopher O'Connell served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He suddenly died of an unknown medical condition in his sleep, according to his platoon leader and cousin.

After a three hour drive from Maine, the procession turned arrived at a Weymouth funeral home where family members will say their goodbyes.

"Bringing him home for his family just, I'm pretty sure he'd want us to celebrate for him he was that type of guy," said Sgt First Class Joseph Sullivan.

People, some complete strangers, waved flags for O'Connell. The 36-year-old guardsman who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 379th engineer company out of Buzzards Bay. The 379th engineer company wanted to give a hero's goodbye.

Sky Fox captured the procession as it came into Massachusetts and again along the South Shore where fire trucks lined up on the overpasses. The procession turned off Route 3 in Weymouth, with a fire truck ladder up flying the flag.

"When I saw the fire truck at the highway that was ... That really got me," said Sullivan.

The wake and funeral are planned for early next week.

Cox Media Group