A soldier from Sunrise who was killed in Afghanistan in December will be laid to rest in South Florida Tuesday.
Army Specialist Jorge E. Villacis, 24, will be buried at the South Florida National Cemetary in Lake Worth Tuesday afternoon. Family, friends and fellow soldiers gathered for a viewing Monday night in Davie.
Villacis was among six soldiers killed in Kandahar province on Dec. 12, when their unit was attacked by insurgents.
Villacis had joined the Army in September 2008 and earned several awards, including the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Combat Infantry Badge.
He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and three children.
Also killed were: Cpl. Sean M. Collins, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Cpl. Willie A. McLawhorn Jr., 23, of Conway, N.C.; Spc. Patrick D. Deans, 22 of Orlando, Fla.; Spc. Kenneth E. Necochea Jr., 21, of San Diego, Calif.; and Spc. Derek T. Simonetta, 21, of Redwood City, Calif.
All six were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), out of Fort Campbell, Ky.
