NEWPORT – In the shower. Around the house. During church.

Army Pfc. Tyler M. Springmann loved to sing. Although family members hold different memories of the young man, they are “completely unified” about his love of singing.

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Members of the Maine Army National Guard on Friday carry the casket of Pfc. Tyler M. Springmann, 19, of Hartland, who was killed in Afghanistan on July 17. Scott Monroe/Morning Sentinel

Pfc. Tyler Springmann

“And when Tyler sang, he did so quite badly,” said Chaplain Andrew Gibson of the Maine Army National Guard. But through his singing and his commitment to his family and country, “he also showed of his soul and his heart.”

Gibson’s comments came Friday morning during the military funeral for the 19-year-old from Hartland, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on July 17. More than 100 family members and friends gathered at the Nokomis Regional High School gymnasium as final remembrances were shared over Springmann’s flag-draped casket.

Springmann’s family was given several honors on the fallen soldier’s behalf, including a legislative proclamation and state and military medals including the Purple Heart. Gov. Paul LePage and Maine Army National Guard officials presented the family with the Maine state flag.

Behind the casket at the head of the gym was a large American flag, and on either side were photos of Springmann and flowers.

Maj. Gen. Peter Bayer Jr., representing the secretary of the Army, said he did not know Springmann personally, but “I feel as though I know him because he was a soldier; he was a man of great courage and character.”

Springmann volunteered for military service and knew “he may be asked to lay down his life” for the ideals in the Constitution, Bayer said. “In my book, this man is a hero, plain and simple,” he said.

Bayer also read remarks from Capt. John Oliver, Springmann’s commander, who spoke at a service in Afghanistan soon after Springmann’s death. “He was willing to take up ‘point and probe’ to lead patrols looking for IEDs (improvised explosive devices),” Oliver said. Springmann did this “for his fellow soldiers” and he did it with a “cheerful spirit.”

“He always had something good to say and always asked about my wife and son — by name,” Oliver said. “He was more mature than his 19 years.”

Calling Springmann a “scant 19 years old on this Earth,” Gibson said many had the privilege of knowing his uplifting personality.

Gibson read three verses from the Bible that Springmann’s wife, Brittney, had selected. One was from the Old Testament: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”

Springmann — to put it in military terms — was on a mission, Gibson said, just as the rest of us are.

And Gibson also read a verse from Genesis: “May the Lord watch between you and me whenever we are apart.” Both Springmann and his wife had that verse on dog tags they wore, Gibson said.

“Love is more powerful than death, love is more powerful than any kind of physical separation,” Gibson said.

Among the family in attendance were Springmann’s wife, of Palmyra; his father, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Springmann, who has also been stationed in Afghanistan; his mother, Tina Stratton, and her husband, Ben Martin, of Hartland; his two brothers, Zachary Martin of Hartland and William Springmann of Brandywine, Md., and his sister, Keana Martin.

Billy Black, Springmann’s father-in-law, said he met him when he was “just another high school kid.”

“I discounted him at first,” Black said, but “he soon proved his mettle and earned my trust. He came into our lives and, I think, swept every one of us off our feet. Brittney, myself, my son Hayden — we all loved him to death.”

And, because “music was indeed a very important part of Tyler’s life,” Gibson said, Springmann’s grandmother, Linda Snay, also sang “Amazing Grace.”

“Tyler loved this song with all of his heart,” Snay said. “So I hope it blesses you just as much as it did him.”

At the start of the second verse, Ben Martin rose from his seat and began singing along, and the rest of those in the gym soon stood and sang as well.

Following the funeral, Springmann was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Dexter, beside his grandmother, great-grandmother and three uncles.

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