Raymond Lucente assisted in numerous funerals as a volunteer at St. Frances Cabrini Church, but his most important duty came Tuesday when he said good-bye to his grandson, Army Sgt. Robert C. Sisson Jr.

"Until we meet again, Bobby," Lucente said in a touching salute after reading a poem for fallen soldiers.

Sisson, 29, formerly of Center, died Feb. 21 in Kandahar District, Afghanistan, while serving during Operation Enduring Freedom. The military continues to investigate, describing Sisson's death as "non-combat-related." Sisson's family was informed by fellow soldiers that he died after going to bed with flu-like symptoms.

Sisson was the 5,900th member of the military to die in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the most recent Department of Defense statistics, released Feb. 22.

Several hundred mourners attended the funeral in Center where Sisson received full military honors. Eighteen members of the Army Reserve's 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, based in Moon, served as pall bearers and honor guards. An additional seven members were on hand for the burial at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil.

Maj. Gen. Gregg F. Martin, commandant of the Army War College in Carlisle, spoke at the service, saying Sisson's comrades in Afghanistan praised him as a hero.

Sisson was described as a jokester, motivator, big brother and all-around good man, Martin said. He quoted "The Crisis," penned in 1776 by American patriot Thomas Paine.

"Here we are 235 years later, and the courage and sacrifice of another American patriot -- Sgt. Robert Sisson -- has brought us here today," Martin said. "Bobby volunteered to go into harm's way to protect our way of life."

The Rev. Mariusz Mularczyk, who delivered the sermon, called on all to remember America's military veterans.

"They are not numbers," he said. "They have names. They have futures. We have to promise before God that we will support our boys in arms."

At the funeral's close, Martin presented the family with Robert Sisson's medals, including a Bronze Star and service medals from Iraq, Afghanistan and NATO. He presented Sisson's wife, parents, grandparents and sister with Gold Star pins, signifying a loved one who died during military service. Sisson's wife, Brittany, and parents, Robert Sisson Sr. and Mary Ann Storch, were given sets of his Army dog tags.

State police and eight members of the Patriot Guard Riders provided an escort to the cemetery.

"We as a nation will always be grateful for his ultimate sacrifice," Martin said.

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