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LOS ALAMITOS — Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell arrived home for the last time Tuesday.
On a hot, cloudless day at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, the body of the 26-year-old combat veteran from Long Beach was returned to his family and a group of about 300 mourners.
A public memorial service and burial will be held Saturday.
Harvell died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter he was in crashed after being hit with enemy fire from Taliban insurgents.
The crash, which killed 38, including 30 Americans, most of whom were elite Navy SEALs, was the largest single deadliest loss for American forces in the decade-old war.
On Tuesday at 2:18 p.m. a Kalitta Charters plane landed at Los Alamitos, on which the body of Harvell was accompanied by his brother, Staff Sgt. Sean Harvell.
After the casket was removed and the family approached, an Air Force chaplain said to a hushed crowd, "America stands at a crossroads, but it stands strong because of men and women like Andrew Harvell."
The chaplain then asked for a prayer for Harvell and "for all that died on that terrible day in a helicopter crash; we pray for their comfort."
Harvell's family didn't speak publicly Tuesday.
However, Harvell's widow, Krista, issued a statement saying her husband loved his career in the military and served his country well.
She added that Harvell left three legacies, one was his career, and the other two were his sons, Hunter, 3, and Ethan, 5 months.
The grieving family was supported by about 100 members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that forms processionals and honors the war dead.
Bill Huddleston, a former police officer, says he joined the Riders two years ago
"I want to show (the families) that they're not alone," Huddleston said, choking with emotion as he spoke. "That's what we all want to do is to show our support and protect them. They've had tremendous loss."
Harvell was a combat controller, assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The 2002 Millikan High School graduate coordinated air support with troops on the ground in hostile situations.
Coincidentally, Harvell's older brother, Sean, was awarded two Silver Stars for action in Afghanistan in May and July of 2007.
The Air Force cited Sean Harvell for putting himself in the line of enemy fire to direct air support that killed hundreds of enemy combatants during battles in May and July 2007.
Also killed in the mission was Lt. Cmdr. Jonas Kelsall, 33, whose father, John, is the president and CEO of the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. Kelsall was a Navy SEAL.
Most of the fatalities in the crash were members of SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden. Military officials said none of the crash victims was on that mission in Pakistan against the al-Qaida leader.
Huddleston has 40 dog-tag style emblems from each ceremony he has attended. As he watched the hearse and grieving family leave the Los Alamitos facility he remarked about the missions: "It doesn't get any easier."
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
Memorial planned
What: Memorial Service for Staff Sgt. Andrew Harvell
When: Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Where: Forest Lawn-Long Beach, 1500 E. San Antonio Drive; interment at Los Angeles National Cemetery, 950 Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles.
