COLUMBUS — The body of a 29-year-old soldier who died in combat in Afghanistan has been returned to his central Ohio hometown.
Onlookers lined the streets to honor Army Spc. Joseph Collette as the motorcade passed through the streets of Lancaster Wednesday.
A military plane carrying Collette’s body arrived at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base and a motorcade then proceeded east on U.S Route 33 to Lancaster.
The U.S. Department of Defense says Collette died March 22 of injuries received from enemy fire during a combat mission in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province. He was assigned to the 242nd Ordnance Battalion, 71st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, based in Fort Carson, Colorado.
Visitation will be Thursday at Faith Memorial Church, where a funeral service will be held Friday morning.