The Lincoln High School graduate was only 20 years old when he was killed in an Aug. 22 crash of an Army Black Hawk helicopter in northern Iraq, along with 13 other U.S. soldiers. Ten of them, including Seideman, were based in Hawai'i.

Before his burial in the National Cemetery in Fayetteville, hundreds gathered Saturday at a high school auditorium to pay tribute to him. They sang religious songs. Some wept silently during a video that included family pictures.

Marisa Frye, 19, remembered Seideman as playful. Others spoke of how much he enjoyed camping, hiking, canoeing, swimming and jumping off bluffs.

"He was always joking around, always showing his biceps and teasing everybody," Frye said.

Jeremy Bolivear, 21, said Seideman was a good friend.

"He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it,"

Bolivear said. "I knew that if I needed help I always would count on him."

The two shared games, barbecues and spent many weekends together.

"It's hard to losing him," Bolivear said.

Seideman graduated from Lincoln High School in 2004. He served in the Army's 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, out of Schofield Barracks, Hawai'i.