SPRING LAKE—A North Carolina soldier was laid to rest Friday.

Spc. Trevor Adkins, 21, of Spring Lake was killed by an IED explosion earlier this month in Afghanistan. Adkins, a Spring Lake native, was one of six soldiers killed in the explosion.

Spc. Adkins had been deployed to Afghanistan since February of this year, his first deployment. Adkins' mother, Carolyn Haines, said the weight of her son's death truly hit her Thursday evening.

“It dawned on me last night that there are only two people in this world that would die for us. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and these soldiers put their lives on the line so that we fly this red, white and blue flag and be free,” said Haines.

Haines lost her daughter seven years ago and Spc. Adkins will be buried in the same cemetery, close to his sister.