Five years ago, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher O. Moudry was on his second tour of duty in Iraq. Moudry's service was cut short, however, on Oct. 4, 2006, when he was killed in an enemy attack. He was 31.

Within days, he was transported more than 6,000 miles to Perry Hall, where family, friends and an entire community mourned his passing.

Moudry attended St. Joseph School in Fullerton. He was a dedicated member of Boy Scout Troop 746 and later became a star runner at Perry Hall High School, said his friend Lt. Jack Amrhein of the Baltimore County Fire Department.

He graduated from Perry Hall in 1993 and joined the Army two years later, the Baltimore Sun reported. He served for a total of 11 years.

His funeral Mass, held on Oct. 14 at St. Joseph Church, was attended by more than 300 relatives, friends and Boy Scouts from Moudry's former troop, according to his obituary.

Dozens of motorcyclists, known as the Patriot Guard Riders, led a processional from the church to Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. Amrhein remembered this as an emotional experience.

He said in an email message to Patch:

[Moudry] was my friend and is the reason I went into riding with the Patriot Guard Riders—those gentlemen are amazing. I called the night before the funeral [on Oct. 14] and asked if I could ride with them and if I could wear my Boy Scout uniform. They welcomed me in. During the funeral, they stood outside in the flag line, but what they did for me, unknowingly, was amazing. They had pushed my bike to the front of the line and asked me if I would lead the entire procession from St. Joseph Church out to Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. The state and county police shut down all roads, including the beltway, for the entire route—the longest 18 miles I've ever ridden. I cried the whole way.

Obituaries for Moudry were published by the Baltimore Sun and Capital News Service:

• Sergeant remembered by family, friends
• Moudry: ever the runner, even in Iraq
• Baltimore Countian Killed in Iraq