NEWPORT – Family, friends and community members bid a heart-wrenching farewell yesterday to fallen soldier Spc. Justin Rollins, a "whirlwind" of energy in life and a "rock of strength" in death.

A roadside bomb killed Rollins, 22, and five of his fellow soldiers March 5 near Samarra, Iraq.

More than 400 people turned out for the memorial service at South Congregational Church, including Gov. John Lynch, U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg and Griffin Dalianis, aide to the secretary of the Army.

Before reading the "Soldiers Creed," as he had planned, Dalianis said he couldn't help but comment on the love and support the town of Newport has wrapped around the Rollins family since the news of Justin's death.

He said Newport residents have showered him and members of the 82nd Airborne Division with thanks and offers of food and shelter since they arrived.

"We don't get that very often," he said.

Gov. Lynch told Justin's loved ones -- his parents, Rhonda and Mitch Rollins, his brother Jon and his girlfriend Brittney Murray -- that although nothing he could say would ease their grief, "I want you to know you do not suffer alone.

"Justin was one of the best of the best," Lynch said, and the people of New Hampshire are deeply grateful for his service and his ultimate sacrifice.

"We cannot pay back that debt," he said.

Mitch "Skip" Rollins said Justin sometimes "put me to the test," but he couldn't be more proud to have a true hero as a son. He said the word used most often to describe his son since his death has been "whirlwind," because of his contagious laugh and strong presence.

Mitch Rollins honored all the service men and women present by asking them to "stand proud" as he called out each war the United States has been involved in since World War II.

Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division carry Spc. Justin Rollins' casket to the hearse after the packed memorial service yesterday morning at South Congregational Church on Main Street in Newport. (KRISTEN SENZ)

He commended friends of his son's by name, and then turned to Murray, the 19-year-old Lempster woman to whom his son had planned to propose marriage next month.

"You are his first and only true love," he said. "You are his shining light." Fighting back tears, Murray stood before the crowd and explained that her only comfort comes from the belief that she and Rollins will be reunited in the afterlife.

Then she looked at his flag-draped coffin.

"I say to you for the last time, I love you Justin."

Pastor Donna Leslie reflected on Justin's life growing up in Newport. Known to have a mischievous streak and fantastic sense of humor, Justin often struggled at school. But after graduating from high school in 2003, he found his true calling when he joined the military.

Rollins's unit responded to Hurricane Katrina and saved many lives, including those of abandoned animals that Rollins fought to rescue. Later, Rollins turned down a position as a military recruiter to be with his unit in Iraq.

Leslie also relayed a conversation she had with Justin's mother shortly after news came of his death.

"Rhonda asked me, 'Is Justin an angel now?'" she said, acknowledging the faint sounds of laughter through tears coming from the audience.

"My reaction was just like yours. I chuckled a little and said, 'Well, Justin was no angel during his life, but yeah, I think he's an angel now.'"

A slide show set to the song "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns N' Roses provided a photographic chronicle of Rollins' life, from his childhood in Newport to his life in Iraq, to private moments with Murray. It evoked laughter and tears, sometimes simultaneously, from the sea of mourners.

Rev. Dr. R. Craig MacCreary urged viewers to embrace the spectrum of feelings unleashed by the photographs, "because those will be a rock of strength for you."

Spc. Justin Rollins yesterday was posthumously awarded the Army Service Ribbon. He had also received the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Medal Ribbon, the Army Overseas Service Ribbon, the Army Good Conduct Medal Ribbon, two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star with Valor.

Rollins will be laid to rest this week in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington.