Sergeant Paul Smith's remains were brought home to his family Friday afternoon..
He was killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan a week ago, when an IED hit his vehicle.

Family, friends, and admirers gathered outside the Remmert's Funeral Home to welcome Sergeant Paul Smith home to East Peoria.

His brother says he was proud to be a soldier.

An improvised explosive device hit the vehicle Staff Sergeant Smith was traveling in for a security detail in Kandahar.

"Anybody that's in the armed forces and loses their life on duty is definitely...he's a hero," said William Smith, his brother.

And William Smith says he wasn't just a hero for the Illinois Army National Guard, he was also a hero at home.

"This time here, the two weeks he had leave, that's what he wanted to do. He didn't want to visit nobody, he wanted to stay with his family," said William Smith.

Smith enlisted in the Army in 1993, and after 13 years of active duty, he retired and moved his family back to East Peoria.
That same year, he joined the Illinois Army National Guard and last year he volunteered to go to Afghanistan.

"He was one of those people that would always do what was necessary. He would never ask why or how come, or never say no," remembered Sgt. Johnathan Brewer of the Illnois Army National Guard.

Sgt. Smith was on his fifth deployment...his third combat tour...William Smith says when the soldier decided to leave for his last tour, he was nervous for his little brother.

"I was leery, but his comment was, It's my duty. So what can you say..."

And although it's a sad day for Smith's family, and friends they say he laid down his life for a cause he believed in, ensuring the safety of his country.