Boston Globe -- The body of Army Specialist Jordan Shay, an Amesbury native, arrived in the state yesterday, a week after he was killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq.

“It was a very emotional moment for the family, friends, military, and onlookers as well,’’ said Master Sergeant Pallas Wahl, a spokesman for the Massachusetts National Guard. It’s a “very sad day when a soldier returns home in that manner.’’

Shay was an active-duty soldier with Company A, Fifth Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment from Fort Lewis, Wash.

Shay’s body arrived at Hanscom Air Force Base at 9:30 a.m. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment received the body from the plane, Wahl said.

Shay, 22, was a graduate of Amesbury High School’s class of 2005. His family now lives in Newburyport.

Calling hours will be from 2 to 8 p.m. today at Twomey Leblanc and Conte Funeral Home, located in Newburyport. A funeral Mass will be held tomorrow at Holy Family Parish in Amesbury.

Shay and another soldier were killed Sept. 3 in a vehicle rollover in Baqubah. Shay’s aunt said last week that the family would greatly miss him, but was also proud of his service.

==Another news story==

The Associated Press -- Jordan Shay had a gift for writing.

The 22-year-old from Salisbury, Mass., decided this year to chronicle his military service through a blog, “Through Amber Lenses.”

About a week after posting his last blog, Shay died Sept. 3 in Baqubah, Iraq, when the vehicle he was in rolled over. He was stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash.

In his last post, Shay wrote about leaving the secure Iraqi police station for a brief, unauthorized visit into the Iraqi village with other soldiers.

“Crossing a small lot with a few scattered cars and trash piles, a pack of four or five dogs picked up our scent and barked to alert the area to our presence. We held up at the far side of the lot. ... A group of kids had been playing around in the street, but had scattered as soon as we left the station. In previous years, that was a bad sign. Kids scattered and plugged their ears before roadside bombs detonated.”

The visit, though, seemed to make citizens feel more comfortable about the American military presence. It was a way of “showing that we’re there to be friendly and help the Iraqis, and proving we’re not afraid to wander the streets,” Shay wrote.

The 2005 Amesbury (Mass.) High School graduate is survived by his mother, Holly Shay, and girlfriend, Kelsey Chandonnet.