AVON -- In a small cemetery at the top of a hill on a back rural road, under a cloudless blue sky with a gusty wind blowing through towering pines, Sgt. Richard K. Parker was laid to rest.

Mourners stood silently as the military honor guard slowly carried the flag-draped coffin from the hearse and placed it by the grave site. A military chaplain led a solemn ceremony for the 26-year-old Avon man who had served in the military for nine years and planned to make it his career.

A bagpiper played a forlorn refrain, a military bugler played "Taps," and a three-gun salute signaled the funeral of a fallen soldier.

Following the ceremonial folding of the American flag that had covered Parker's coffin since it left Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the honor guard presented the flag to the late soldier's parents, Dixie Flagg and Scott Hood.

Family members placed red roses on the coffin and touched it to say good-bye.

One by one, hundreds of others filed by, placing a hand on the polished wood coffin and laying flowers alongside the roses.

Parker, of Phillips, was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 152nd Field Artillery Regiment, Maine Army National Guard, based in Waterville. He died June 14 in Scania, Iraq from wounds suffered June 13 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations.

Several hundred attended the funeral held at Parker's alma mater, Mount Abram High School in Salem Township.

Parker was remembered by friends and family as a caring, kind and thoughtful person who never hesitated to help others.

It was a trait that brought him back to his unit for a second tour of duty in Iraq, they said.

"He knew there was still work to be done and he was willing to help. It was his nature," said his close friend, Jim Roy. "Richard was the kind of person who was always ready to help. He was never someone who waited to be asked.... It was for the gratification of helping.

"No one asked him to return to Iraq," Roy said. "This has been a long war and a tough war but there is a certain bond that exists only in combat. It is a bond that is more powerful than we civilians can ever know."

Roy read an e-mail Parker sent him on May 31 that said he would be returning to Fort Dix in New Jersey on July 19.

"The time here has really flown," Roy quoted Parker as saying.

Parker's mother, Dixie Flagg, in comments read by Chaplain Andrew Gibson, shared humorous stories. Flagg, seated in the audience, wiped tears from her eyes as she listened to her own words.

"Some say he was a mama's boy," she wrote. "I am so glad he became this mama's boy."

Parker's friend, U.S. Marine Sgt. Christopher Haines, dressed in his midnight blue dress uniform, talked about how his childhood friend embodied the American fighting spirit.

Haines then stepped over to the casket, placed his cap on his head, and gave a somber salute.

Parker was awarded a Bronze Star posthumously for meritorious action, and a Purple Heart posthumously for being killed in action.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci presented the family with the State of Maine Gold Star Medal for being killed overseas, and a state Silver Star Medal for injuries sustained in combat.

Top-ranking military personnel presented Parker's parents with an Army Good Conduct Medal and Iraqi Campaign Medal, among others.

A scholarship fund has been set up for anyone wishing to make a donation in Parker's memory.

Donations can be sent to the Sgt. Richard K. Parker Scholarship Fund, c/o Judy McCurdy, Guidance Office, Mt. Abram High School, 1513 Salem Rd., Salem, ME 04983.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com