BARNWELL, S.C. (AP) - Army Staff Sgt. George Edward Buggs left this small South Carolina 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 near the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah on March 23.

Buggs is the first South Carolina soldier killed in the war in Iraq. The Army posthumously awarded him 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."

Tears and laughter filled the gymnasium where Buggs' flag-draped coffin lay. 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.

"He loved God, he loved his family, he loved his friends and he loved his country," the Rev. Eugene Keitt told Buggs' family. "Walk with your head held high."

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 during the service in an unsuccessful attempt to keep his tears from falling.

"I'm here on behalf of every South Carolinian to say thank you," Sanford said.

Buggs was buried at Hope Memorial Park on the outskirts of town, where soldiers fired a 21-volley salute, a bugler played "Taps" and a soldier presented his family with the U.S. flag.

Along with his son, Buggs leaves behind Wanda, his wife of nearly nine years, who he met at Barnwell High School. He also is survived by his parents, three grandparents and two sisters.

Buggs belonged to the 3rd Forward Support Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Ga. He was traveling with members of the 507th Maintenance Company, based at Fort Bliss, Texas, when the soldiers were ambushed.

Among the soldiers in that convoy was Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, a prisoner of war rescued by special forces soldiers. She returned to the United States on Saturday.

Buggs was among eight soldiers whose bodies were found by the same commandos that rescued Lynch.

"Staff Sgt. George Edward Buggs gave his life for freedom, fighting for his fellow soldiers, and we will not forget him," Mongeon said.

In the middle of the service, a soloist sang the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" followed by "America the Beautiful," By the time he finished, nearly each of the hundreds of people in the gym were singing along.

But the most poignant moment Saturday came when Buggs' friend, Ondrew Bellinger, spoke about the man he knew since their were both boys.

He remembered what Buggs told him the last time he visited home near Christmas.

"Drew, I love the Army," Bellinger recalled Buggs saying. "They'll have to kick me out."

"I feel comforted knowing he gave the ultimate sacrifice. That's what he wanted to do," Bellinger said.

Yulanda Jefferson graduated from Barnwell High in 1990 with Buggs. Wearing one of her best dresses, she walked 15 minutes to the gymnasium to pay her final respects to the friend she remembers as a tuba player in the high school band.

"He went over there to fight for our country. He loved our country," Jefferson said. "But I sure am going to miss him."

The Rev. Charles Law Sr. didn't know Buggs. The 12-year Army veteran fought in the first Gulf War and said he came to honor a fellow soldier.

"He died with a purpose. He died for a cause. He just wasn't killed giving someone else in some other country freedom. He died to make sure we keep our freedom," Law said. "That's something to be proud of."

Nearly everyone who spoke talked about how much Buggs loved the military. He enlisted not long after graduating from high school, first in the National Guard, and later in the Army.

"He loved the Army," aunt Earnestine Gloster said. "He was so happy getting to see almost every part of the world."

Most of the speakers also talked about sacrifice, and an image of the servicemen raising the American flag at Iwo Jima graced the front of the program. One pastor read John 15:13 from the Bible.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."