Body of Montana soldier arrives home Thursday

BUTTE (AP)

The flag-draped casket of Army Pvt. Daren Smith, who died in Iraq, arrived in Butte on Thursday to dozens of family members and friends who gathered at the city's airport to pay their respects. Smith, 19, died Dec. 13 in Baghdad of non-combat related injuries. He is the 22nd Montanan serving in the military to die in Iraq. The Department of Defense hasn't release any additional details about the death, which is under investigation. Bad weather delayed Smith's flight to Butte for a few hours, and his family was given the option of canceling the flight and receiving the body in Helena, said honor guard coordinator Denny Lenoir. The family rejected the idea. "They wanted him to come home," Lenoir said. Smith was born in Butte and lived there until he reached middle school, when he moved to Helena. He graduated from Helena High School in 2006 and completed a semester at the University of Montana-Helena College of Technology. He joined the Army in March and was deployed to Iraq on Nov. 29. Smith served in a small platoon that moved ahead of larger units and scouted out conditions. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. at Wayrynen-Richards Funeral Home, followed by a graveside service at 12:30 p.m. at the Montana Veterans Cemetery at Fort Harrison near Helena.