PHOTOS: Kennedy Laid to Rest in Fort Snelling National Cemetery

U.S. Army Specialist and Inver Grove Heights native Joseph Kennedy was buried late Thursday morning at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Kennedy, who graduated from Simley High School, was killed on April 15 in Afghanistan when his unit came under small arms fire by insurgents. Hundreds of community members and Patriot Guard Riders attended his funeral Thursday morning at the Church of St. Patrick in Inver Grove Heights. The funeral procession left the church around 11am, and passed through the city on its way to Fort Snelling.

At a press conference last week, family and friends remembered Kennedy as a prankster and an adventurous man who lived life “full, fast and loud.” The 25-year-old was posthumously awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge and the Purple Heart, according to representatives from Fort Knox, Ky., where Kennedy's unit is based.

To read more about Joseph Kennedy, . For family photos of Kennedy, click here.