To the brothers he fought beside each day, Payne was a man who embraced every tenet of his profession. His commander, Capt. Benjamin Marx, called him a warrior; someone who "embodied self-sacrifice" and helped promote freedom both at home and abroad.

Spc. Brandon Koenig, who traveled home to bid his friend farewell, haltingly described Payne as his battle-buddy and best friend. They fought together and shared jokes together. "He died doing what he loved doing. He was a soldier. No doubt about that," he said.

As the wind whipped and other soldiers saluted, Koenig gripped the hand of an elderly aunt. Together they watched as the sun burst from the clouds, casting a brief shadow on the face of Rocky's older brother, who was dedicating and blessing the grave.

The Paynes believe life doesn't end with death. It's merely a door into another life.

"I'll see my son again, I know that," said Dennis Payne.

But for now, he said he'll weep and honor the boy he raised on the windswept fields of Howell, a city with only a few hundred residents, tucked between the white-capped mountains and open sky of Box Elder County.

"He was a man," said Payne. "He died doing a man's job; he deserves all the honor and respect I can give him as a father."

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com