Services held for Missouri soldier killed in Jordan

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- A soldier killed outside a military base in Jordan this month was remembered as a son and a superhero at his funeral in northern Missouri.

Matthew Lewellen was one of three U.S. Army sergeants from the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, killed earlier this month in the shooting outside the base in southern Jordan.

Services for Lewellen, a former Kirksville High School prom king and football and track standout, were Saturday at the Kirksville Primary School gymnasium.

Lewellen, who was on his second deployment to Jordan, had been awarded several honors, including the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Purple Heart and NATO Medal, The Kirksville Daily Express reported.

"There are real superheroes, and I believe my son, Matt, was one of them," Chuck Lewellen wrote in a letter read at the service. "I'm a proud parent of a superhero, and I am proud to call him my son."

The service included words from Lewellen's friends and fellow Green Berets, stories about a soldier who will be remembered with respect and admiration. Master Sgt. Casey Klein said people owed Lewellen's parents not just condolences but thanks.

"Thank them for raising such a wonderful man, a man full of courage, honor and selfless service," he said. "Someone we should all try to emulate."

Jake Sevits spoke of his friendship with Lewellen, saying he was "a good son. He was a good brother. He was a good friend. And he was going to be a good husband and a good father."

Lewellen was buried later Saturday at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville.