Austin mourns hometown soldier's death

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Sgt. Juan P. Navarro, 23, could light up a room with a smile that made you want to get to know him, family said.

Family members also said he was funny, ambitious with big dreams.

Those dreams ended on July 7 when a roadside bomb exploded while Navarro was on patrol in Afghanistan. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant posthumously.

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"I think it's most hard to see his mother cry, his mother unable to ever see him again," Navarro's cousin, Juan Navarro, said.

The family's final goodbyes began Monday as a plane carrying Navarro's body arrived in Austin. The Austin Police department along with Patriot Guard Riders took formation as they left the airport.

Sam Warren is a veteran and has been riding with the Patriot Guard Riders for years. Warren never met the young solider, but wanted to show his respect by riding his motorcycle and the American flag waving behind.

"It's obviously a very solemn moment but it really gets to you when they open that door and you see that flag on that coffin coming out the door," Warren said. "We want the family to know they're not alone in this."

As the soldier's body was driven through the streets of Austin to the funeral home, those passing by shared the same sentiment.

"We have a lot of them who will get out and render salute, put their hand over their heart," Warren said.

Some of Navarro's words posted on Facebook the day before he died offer inspiration:

"Going home means getting comfortable being who you are and who your soul really wants to be. God loves me enough to let me go through all the lessons I came here to learn, even the ones that hurt the most." - Sgt. Juan Navarro.

Services for Navarro are being handled by Cook-Walden Funeral Home, at 6100 N. Lamar Blvd.

Navarro will be buried with military honors at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen on Wednesday.