NEWPORT — A military funeral for Pfc. Tyler M. Springmann will be held Friday at the Nokomis Regional High School gymnasium, the same place where the 19-year-old from Hartland graduated last year.

Meanwhile, Gov. Paul LePage has ordered that U.S. and Maine state flags be flown at half-staff Friday, from sunrise to sunset, in remembrance of the young soldier.

Springmann, a 2010 graduate of Nokomis, died July 17 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, after he was struck by a roadside bomb.

His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at the school at 266 Williams Road. Andrew Gibson, a chaplain with the Maine National Guard, will officiate the service. Crosby & Neal Funeral Homes, of Newport, is in charge of arrangements.

Following the funeral, Springmann will be buried with military honors at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Dexter beside his grandmother, great-grandmother and three uncles. After burial, a gathering will be held at Ridge View Community School in Dexter.

According to an obituary, Springmann was born March 26, 1992, in Rockville, Conn., son of Robert Springmann and Tina Stratton.

Family members have remembered Springmann as a courageous young man who wanted to follow his father’s footsteps in the military. Springmann attended Nokomis his junior and senior year and he also attended the building trades program at Tri-County Technical Center in Dexter, where he was remembered by his instructor as an optimistic, witty kid who was interested in carpentry and looking forward to military service.

Springmann joined the U.S. Army June 21, 2010, and completed basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga. He was assigned to the 25th Striker Brigade at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and was deployed to Afghanistan in May.

Contributions for a memorial paver stone at the National Infantry Museum Heritage Walk in Columbus, Ga., may be made to the National Infantry Foundation, c/o Crosby & Neal, 117 Main St., Newport, ME 04953; or to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Attn: Donor Services, P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265-0309.


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