The soldier's body arrived last night at El Prat airport in Barcelona in an aircraft of the Spanish Armed Forces, in which the Minister for Defence also travelled, and that also brought back three of the soldiers injured in the armoured car which was attacked, Lieutenant Jordi Francesc Rubio, Private Josue Alcalá and Private Daniel Ospina.
The three other soldiers, with less serious injuries, have voluntarily decided to remain in Afghanistan to complete their mission.
The funeral was in the presence of Felipe, Prince of Asturias and attended by the Minister of Defence, Carme Chacón, the Second Vice President of the Government, Elena Salgado, and the President of the Regional Government of Catalonia, José Montilla, as well as many representatives from civil and military authorities.
As soon as the Minister of Defence learned of the attack she travelled to the Herat Base in Afghanistan, accompanied by the Joint Chief of Defence Staff, José Julio Rodríguez and by the Chief of Staff of the Army, José Fulgencio Coll.
At the end of the religious service, Prince Felipe awarded Private John Felipe Romero Meneses the Military Merit Cross with red ribbon. Yesterday he was posthumously awarded the NATO medal for non-article 5 operations.