PITTSFIELD, Mass. - The remains of U.S. Air Force SSgt. Jacob "Jake" Galliher arrived Friday at Westover Reserve Air Base in Chicopee.

Galliher was one of eight crew members killed when an Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan last month.

A C-17 carried Galliher's body back to Massachusetts. The dignified transfer of the 24-year-old's remains took place at the air base.

State officials, service members and first responders welcomed the fallen hero home with a procession to his hometown of Pittsfield, where a community waited to share their support and say goodbye.

Galliher's family is grateful for the “outpouring of support and condolences." Galliher graduated from Taconic High School in 2017.

“He’s a great kid," said Paul Smachetti, one of Galliher's former teachers at Taconic. "You know, just the fact that he would decide to go into the service for his country, you know, it shows what kind of kid he is, was.”

Flags were distributed to the public at several locations in Pittsfield Friday for anyone who'd wanted to pay their respects along the procession route.