The body of a soldier with northeast Iowa ties who died in Afghanistan recently will arrive back in Iowa today. Twenty-year-old Private First Class Christopher Horns of Colorado Springs, Colorado was killed in combat by an improvised explosive device on October 22nd.

Horn’s parents are originally from northeast Iowa, his grandparents live in Clamar and he has relatives in Harpers Ferry, Monona, Calmar and Postville. The funeral for Horns will be Saturday in Calmar with visitation Friday.

According to the Schluter Balik Funeral Home which is handling arrangements, Horns’ body was scheduled to be flown to the Lacrosse, Wisconsin airport today and then taken to the funeral home in Decorah. The processional route will be Highway 44 from LaCrescent, Minnesota to Highway 52 south into Decorah.

Horns served as a ranger with Company C, Second Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at the joint base Lewis-Mccord in Washington. Horns was on his first deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

By Roger King, KOEL, Oelwein