
PHILADELPHIA, Miss. — Residents of Neshoba County lined the streets of Philadelphia on Sunday, waving American flags and expressing gratitude to a soldier from their hometown who died in the service of his country.
On Aug. 22, 2nd Lt. Matt Stovall, 25, became the 16th Mississippian to die in Iraq.
“No, I didn’t know him, but I have some relatives who did,” said 17-year-old Valerie Lillis, who held a small U.S. flag while standing on the corner of Beacon Street in downtown Philadelphia. “It doesn’t matter if you did or didn’t know him. He was from our county and he died for our country.”
A soldier serving with the National Guard’s 367th Maintenance Company,...