Thousands of people lined the streets to pay respects to Zack Shannon, as the Dunedin soldier’s body made its way back home from Afghanistan, where he died in a helicopter crash this month.
The motorcade ferrying Shannon’s body began at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa and ended at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor, where his family held a private service.
Clusters of civilians and soldiers could be seen from the intersection of State Road 60 and McMullen-Booth roads.
Some knew Shannon, others didn’t.
The crowd was at its thickest along the stretch of Pinehurst Road that skirts Dunedin High School, where Shannon graduated in 2010.
Shannon’s family members, who rode in a white stretch limousine behind the hearse that transported his body, said they were surprised to see so many people out to honor him
On Wednesday, a horse-drawn carriage will bring Shannon’s body to Dunedin Cemetery, where Shannon will be buried.