PHOTOS: Murrieta Salutes Fallen Soldier

The Murrieta community gathered Friday to salute a procession carrying the remains of U.S. Army Sgt. Clinton Keith Ruiz, who was killed Oct. 25 in Afghanistan. 

A flight carrying Ruiz's remains arrived at Camp Pendleton at about 11 a.m. Friday. A white hearse was then escorted by Patriot Guard Riders as it traveled north on Interstate 15 to Murrieta. A line of black SUVS carried Ruiz' family.

Fire departments from Oceanside to Murrieta lined overpasses as the procession made its way north on the freeway.

Community members at the corner of Kalmia Street and Jefferson Avenue waved American flags as the motorcade arrived in Murrieta.

A large contingent of Murrieta Valley High School students waited along Washington Avenue—hands on their hearts—as the procession weaved its way toward Murrieta Valley Funeral Home.

(See a video of the procession as it passes by MVHS by clicking here.)

Ruiz, a husband and father, was a 2008 graduate of Murrieta Valley.

A public memorial service for Ruiz begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at Centerpoint Church.