Photo by Joe Imel/Daily News The flag-draped casket of Sgt. Adam J. Kohlhaas, 26, is carried from a plane Tuesday at the Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport. Kohlhaas died April 21 in Bayji, Iraq.

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In a solemn ceremony, the body of Sgt. Adam J. Kohlhaas arrived at Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport Tuesday morning to be escorted to J.C. Kirby and Son Funeral Home, Lovers Lane chapel.

Kohlhaas, 26, died April 21 in Bayji, Iraq, when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

Grieving family members waited Tuesday just outside the gate for the plane carrying Kohlhaas’ American flag-draped casket to arrive, which it did shortly before noon.

In the moments ahead of the plane’s landing, Kohlhaas’ family was ushered into the main airport building, where they waited silently.

Friends of the family waited outside in the parking lot.

Members of the Patriot Guard Riders - a group of bikers who travel to military funerals to honor those who’ve died serving their country - held American flags and stood at attention at the airport’s rear entrance, and a group of six soldiers from Fort Campbell helped carry the casket to the hearse.

Traffic on a crowded Scottsville Road came to a halt in all lanes as a police escort led mourners to the funeral home.

Kohlhaas entered the U.S. Army nearly six years ago and had been stationed at Fort Campbell since 2002. According to previous published reports, he grew up in Cadiz and enlisted in the Army in Missouri.

Kohlhaas attended Trigg County High School, graduated from high school in Missouri and played semi-pro football for the Kentucky Stars.

Though he grew up in Trigg County, Kohlhaas’ listed hometown was Perryville, Mo.

He was assigned to D Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

His wife, Rebecca, currently lives in Bowling Green.

Family members stayed close to a sobbing Rebecca as she struggled to maintain her balance while the family walked inside the airport. The family declined to speak to reporters.

The funeral service for Sgt. Kohlhaas is at 10 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home; visitation is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.