Charleston Post Courier -- Ron White is not sure how many military funerals he's attended the past couple of years as state organizer for the Patriot Guard Riders. Sadly, it's far too many.

But when the volunteer group rolls into North Charleston on Sunday to honor the life and service of Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Taylor, a Summerville native who was killed Sept. 21 in Iraq, the solemn occasion is likely to hit close to home for White.

"I do feel a connection with this young man," said White, whose 27-year-old son serves with the Army's Special Forces and has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Like Taylor, White's son also attended Fort Dorchester High School.

Taylor planned to join the Patriot Guard after he completed his military enlistment next year. He thought it would be a fitting way to honor other service members once he finally hung up his uniform.

After two deployments to Afghanistan and his stint in Iraq that began last year, Taylor was looking forward to getting out and spending time with his wife and their three young daughters, his family said.

Taylor, 25, attended Dorchester County schools before enlisting in the Army in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team at Fort Polk, La. The military involuntarily extended his enlistment so that he could deploy to Iraq.

He last spoke with his family by telephone Sept. 20, when he called to wish his 5-year-old daughter a happy birthday.

The next day, he was shot multiple times by enemy small-arms fire while on foot patrol in Baghdad.

Taylor was due home from the war in 61 days.

His wife, Randi, originally planned to hold a private funeral service. But after an outpouring of sympathy and support from the community this week, she decided to allow others to pay their respects.

Lori Sheeler, funeral director at Carolina Memorial Park, Funerals and Cremations, said Matthew Taylor's sacrifice to his country and his local roots have stirred deep feelings in the community.

"He is a local hero, and people want to come and express their gratitude," she said.

White, himself an Army veteran from Summerville, expects dozens of riders and veterans to attend the service.

Patriot Guard Riders, which formed in 2005 in an effort to shield grieving families from protestors, has become something of a fixture at military funerals around the country in recent years. Its members attend funerals only at the invitation of families, and though many of its members are motorcycle riders and former military, neither is required for membership.

White said he got involved with the group because, like many Americans, he can remember when soldiers returning from war did not receive proper tribute.

"I saw what happened during Vietnam and the disrespect the soldiers got," he said. "We just don't want that to happen again."