BARNWELL - Army Staff Sgt. George Edward Buggs left this small S.C. town many things, including a father, a husband, and a respected friend.

On Saturday, he came home a hero.

Hundreds came to a middle school gymnasium for the funeral of the 31-year-old soldier, who died when members of the 507th Maintenance Company were ambushed March 23 near the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah.

Buggs is the first S.C. soldier killed in the war in Iraq.

The Army posthumously awarded Buggs a Purple Heart and promoted him to staff sergeant.

"Guy, your father is my hero," Maj. Gen. Daniel Mongeon told Buggs' 12-year-old son. "And we will not forget him."

In front of the closed casket were three photos of Buggs, one in camouflage and two in civilian clothes. He had been in the Army for 10 years.

Gov. Mark Sanford also came to Barnwell to pay his last respects. He presented Buggs' son with a U.S. flag that flew over the Statehouse in his father's honor and hugged the boy, who bit his lip several times in an unsuccessful attempt to keep his tears from falling.