Salutes posted along I-81 as SSgt. Ryan Knauss is transported to Arlington National Cemetery

Police and first responders from across the Tri-Cities and Southwest Virginia honored U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss with towering American flags and salutes from atop bridges along Interstate 81.

Bristol and Kingsport public service teams posted the colors while Knauss’ body was being transported from Knoxville to his final resting place in the nation’s capital with an escort from the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Knauss was one of 13 soldiers killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan last month. His burial is scheduled for Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery.

(IMAGE: Kingsport Fire Department)