Indiana Patriot Guard riders and local law enforcement escorted the body of Spc. Sergio Eduardo Perez Jr. of Crown Point from Gary/Chicago International Airport to a funeral home in his hometown Wednesday.

The 21-year-old soldier died July 16 in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan in a roadside explosion.

Spc. Nicholas Andrew Taylor, 20, of Berne was also killed. They were members of a bomb-clearing unit from the Valparaiso-based 713th Engineer Company.

The Post-tribune and The Times of Munster reported a funeral mass for Perez is scheduled for Friday at a Merrillville church.