ROANOKE - As the body of Pfc. Phillip Pannier returned home to Central Illinois on Tuesday, military officials said his death in Iraq is being investigated to determine whether he and two others were victims of friendly fire.

Phillip J. Pannier

Hundreds of people lined the streets for a long procession stretching from Greater Peoria Regional Airport to Roanoke on Tuesday. Many people stood holding miniature flags along a flag-lined route as the infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division was brought back to where he attended high school.

Pannier, 20, of rural Washburn, was one of three soldiers killed on Jan. 8 after their company was attacked by as many as 15 insurgents after discovering several large caches of explosives in the Salahuddin province north of Baghdad.

The former Roanoke-Benson High School football player's death has brought an outpouring of sympathy from Central Illinois residents and many people who didn't know him, but who have read about his death from as far away as California and sent condolences to the family.

But Tuesday's procession shared the stage with reports from Washington, D.C., where military officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the incident is being investigated to determine whether the soldiers were killed by shots from the enemy or by U.S. forces, including members of their unit and aircraft called in for backup later in the battle.

Pannier's mother, Robyn Pannier, declined comment about possible friendly fire.

"I know nothing," she told The Associated Press.

What happened in Iraq

The three soldiers were searching buildings southwest of Samarra early that Tuesday morning when they found more than 1,000 pounds of homemade explosives.

According to reports, the soldiers continued searching the area, and later discovered four vehicles loaded with explosives. They determined that there were at least two insurgents hiding nearby.

When they moved in on the insurgents, reports said the soldiers discovered a tunnel and trench network being defended by 10 to 15 of the enemy. The two sides fought for about three hours, escalating to a massive battle with U.S. aircraft blasting the insurgents with rockets, several 500-pound bombs and .50-caliber guns.

At some point during the fight, soldiers discovered two members of their unit - Pannier and Pfc. Ivan E. Merlo, 19, of San Marcos, Calif., had been killed. Three others were injured, and one of them - Sgt. David J. Hart, 22, of Lake View Terrace, Ca. - died later.

'Just something I want to do'

Larry Eckhardt of Little York, near Monmouth, came to Roanoke on Monday to erect an avenue of flags along Illinois 116 for Tuesday's funeral procession. Eckhardt said he travels to small towns within a reasonable distance to put up his flags in honor of soldiers killed in action.

"It's just something I want to do," Eckhardt said.

He placed 200 of his own flags along the procession route from a mile outside of Roanoke to the Knapp-Johnson-Harris Funeral Home, Roanoke.

Eckhardt worked alone when he began erecting the flags, but he was soon joined by a passer-by and members of the Patriot Guard, a group that honors fallen soldiers when invited by a grieving family.

Mary Louise Meismer of Metamora was one of several community members lining Illinois 116 to pay her respects.

"I'm here to honor him. He gave his life for us. I think this is the most honorable thing anyone can do," she said.

The funeral procession included fire trucks, ambulances and police cars from Roanoke, Benson, Eureka and Woodford County.

Following the hearse were vans carrying the family and some of Pannier's closest friends, some of whom have been staying at the 20-year-old's parents' house since they found out about his death.

"Everybody loved Phill," said friend Angela Oltman. "His group of friends grew larger and larger his last year of high school and since he graduated, many from all around Woodford County, not just Roanoke and Benson."

Phillip's older brother, Dale, was also in the military but was killed in a traffic accident last year as a civilian.

Phillip Pannier left for basic training in July 2006 and later was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., before being sent to Iraq in September 2007 for a 15-month deployment.

Pannier's visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Knapp-Johnson-Harris Funeral Home. His funeral with full military honors will be at 10 a.m. Friday in the Roanoke-Benson High School gym. School is canceled Friday for the funeral.

WEEK-TV contributed to this report.