Friends and family of Sergeant Zachary Tomczak laid their soldier to rest in Huron today. Tomczak died after being shot while on patrol in Baghdad last week. 

Behind all the tradition and customs and in the middle of the large crowd there to honor him, lies a man. He’d been serving his country since 2002. He had completed three tours in Iraq and had been serving a fourth up until September 25, 2007. 

Anyone who hears the story of Sergeant Tomczak will know he was an honorable soldier, his many awards and decorations tell you that. Anyone at his funeral will know he was loved by many. The crowd that showed up made that clear, the flags surrounding him even clearer. 

But the average person can't understand what he meant to those closest to him. His 12-year-old brother who got to see him in June said goodbye to a role model he always looked up to. A father who talked to his son on the phone a few weeks ago, today hugged friends and family around his son's grave. And a wife of not even three years is now living without her husband. 

They and the rest of South Dakota remember Sergeant Zachary Tomczak and his sacrifice.