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SPRING LAKE—Army Spc. Trevor Adkins, 21, was laid to rest Friday in Sandhills Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake. He was a military police officer stationed in Afghanistan.

His mother, Carolyn Haines, said she knew for years that her son wanted to be in the military.

"From the time he could walk, that's all he wanted to do was be a soldier," said Haines.

Adkins was killed in Afghanistan on July 8 in an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) explosion. He was a native of Spring Lake and graduated from Overhills High School. He joined the military in August 2010, and was deployed to Afghanistan in February of this year on his first combat tour.

Adkins' body was escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders, a group that supports the family of military during their funerals, especially when there are protestors.

"Many of our service members that come home with a flag-draped coffin are entirely too young. They haven't had a chance to live. They stood up for us. Went across the water and were killed in action defending this country. Never got a chance at life," said regional ride captain of the Patriot Guard in the Sandhills Dutch Macomber.

Adkins' family was presented with the numerous honors he received from the military, including a Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Both were awarded posthumously. Haines said that even though losing a child hurts, she could not have asked for a better son.