Nearly 800 mourners, including Gov. Bill Ritter, are gathering at Montgomery & Steward Chapel in Pueblo this morning for the funeral of Sgt. Blake Harris, the second soldier from Pueblo to be killed in the war in Iraq.

Harris was killed March 5 when a roadside improvised explosive device was detonated while he was riding in a Humvee patrolling a street in Baghdad. He was 22.

Before the service, his wife, Joanna, issued a statement she would contribute to the service.

"Blake was one of the few people who actually surprised me. He had this whole act of, 'I don’t care what people think of me,' when, in reality, he was a very sensitive, caring, thoughtful, loving person.

"He tried to impress me every way possible. He cared so much what I thought of him, even after we were married."

She said he loved their son, Jonah, and wanted more children.

"He was a child stuck in a grown body. He always had a way to make me laugh." Joanna wrote. "We will miss Blake as a friend, as a father, but most of all as a husband."

American Legion members were in front of the funeral home with flags to guide mourners inside.

Harris, who served with the 1st Cavalry Division, was promoted to the rank of sergeant after his death.