It would be an understatement to say that supporters vastly outnumbered protesters at the funeral this weekend for 32-year-old Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class David Sean Roddy.

A Harford County native, Roddy was killed Sept. 16 while trying to disable a homemade bomb in Iraq.

A light rain fell as many hundreds of friends, family members, fellow vets and other supporters said their final goodbye to the young serviceman.

Motorcyclists lined the street to shield mourners from Westboro Baptist Church protesters, who had announced they planned to attend. The Kansas-based group believes the death of American servicemen in Iraq is God’s way of punishing the military for American tolerance of homosexuality.

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But the group was a no-show, to the relief of many. The Roddy family was glad they hadn’t come to demonstrate and make “a sad day even harder,” one family member said.

Mourners waved flags and veterans saluted as Roddy’s widow, Cristale, and 10-year-old daughter Jessica walked arm-in-arm out of St. Francis de Sales Church in Abingdon, where the funeral was held.

Roddy was a Bel Air High School and Harford Community College graduate who enlisted in the Navy seven years ago.

In the Navy, Roddy worked in a demolition unit in Iraq’s Al Anbar province where he had been stationed since June.

“He was a true hero,” said veteran Brian Dwyer, 63. “I never met him, but I’m here today to pay my respects to someone who gave his life for his country.”

Roddy received a Purple Heart for his service.

In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by his twin sons, Matthew and Michael, 7, all of Virginia, and his parents, Robert and Carol Roddy of Harford County.