Just 19, he worked as a medic who eased pain and suffering. Spc. Bowe's death in Baghdad, Iraq, from a roadside bomb caused an outpouring of tears in his hometown of Moon and in nearby Coraopolis, where more than 250 people attended his funeral.

Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata told mourners at the Presbyterian Church of Coraopolis that Spc. Bowe was a brave soldier who put others ahead of himself.

The general said Matthew was a biblical name -- the name of a selfless servant. "Matthew Bowe was a selfless servant to our nation," Gen. Tata said.

He said he had checked with his command officers in the 10th Mountain Division, to which Spc. Bowe was assigned. They remembered the young medic as hardworking, a friend to all and an integral part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 89th Cavalry Regiment.

Gen. Tata announced in church that Spc. Bowe had been awarded the Bronze Star, the fourth-highest medal for combat valor. Spc. Bowe also received a purple heart, an Iraq Campaign Medal and a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Pastor Dennis Sevick of Mooncrest Community Baptist Church, where the Bowe family normally worships, told the story of how Spc. Bowe came to receive the Bronze Star.

On Sept. 26, a roadside bomb exploded near an Army vehicle in Baghdad, grievously injuring Pfc. Thomas Hewett of Temple, Texas. Spc. Bowe rushed to treat the soldier, then shielded him when a second explosion occurred.

Pfc. Hewett, who was 22, died Oct. 13 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

"His parents saw him one more time before he died," the pastor said.

He credited Spc. Bowe with making that possible.

Spc. Bowe's own death was swifter than that of his comrade.

He and two other soldiers, from Alaska and South Carolina, were killed Feb. 19 when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle.

As Pastor Sevick touched on the specifics of Spc. Bowe's death, sobs filled the church. The entire Moon Area High School football team sat in somber silence, many of its members realizing that Spc. Bowe was only two years older than they are.

He graduated in 2005 from Moon Area High, where he played cornerback on the football team.

The coaches said Spc. Bowe worked hard and never complained.

One told the pastor he wished he had 50 players like Matt Bowe.

Other schoolmates were scattered throughout the church. Many cried all during the service, the pain of losing a friend so raw it could not be contained.

Pastor Sevick said his own memories of Spc. Bowe run deep. He said he can still picture him as a Cub Scout and Sunday school student who looked after his siblings "like a little guardian angel."

He described him as deeply religious, a quiet Christian who treated others with kindness. Then, speaking directly to the soldiers and young people in church, Pastor Sevick said they would do well to emulate Spc. Bowe.

"You can be a better son, a better daughter, because of the example of Matthew Bowe," he said.

Outside, mourners filled Fifth Avenue. Children from St. Joseph Catholic School streamed from their classrooms and stood in a neat row, hands over their hearts, as the funeral procession went by.

As mourners left, they saw Spc. Bowe's name splashed all over town.

On this gloomy day, business owners did not use their signs to advertise specials.

Instead, they thanked him for his service.