BROWNSBURG-CHATHAM, Que. — For those who knew him, Pte. Alexandre Peloquin was a hero -- a superman whose lifelong dream was to serve in the military.

Family, friends, army colleagues and mourners from as far away as the United States came to pay tribute on Saturday to the 20-year-old infantryman who was killed June 8 after stepping on an explosive device while patrolling in the dangerous Panjwaii district of Afghanistan.

Hundreds lined the streets of his hometown of Brownsburg-Chatham, a town of some 6,660 people about 75 kilometres northwest of Montreal, and bade farewell to Peloquin with the honour, precision and solemnity of a traditional military funeral.

His casket, draped in the Canadian flag, was carried into the St-Louis-de-France church by eight soldiers as townspeople, some in tears, stood quietly outside.

"Alexandre, let the doors of heaven open for you," Father Claude Pigeon said in his prayer, his voice carrying to the crowd gathered around the church.

"And that your brothers (in arms) are there to greet you."

After a soldier played 'The Last Post' -- a bugle call used at military funerals -- the Canadian flag was lifted from Peloquin's coffin, folded and handed with his military insignia to his mother, Monique Chevrier. She stood, with her son's insignia in her arms and her head bowed, while a family member placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"These gestures mark our profound respect for the one who fell and to whom we are saying farewell," said Pigeon.

The mourners -- both military and civilian -- came out to pay their final respects to the man they described as disciplined, strong-willed and brave.

"By the end, Alexandre had grown into a man," said Lucille Chevrier, his aunt.

"He believed in the army and we respect him for that."

She said Peloquin had always devoted his life to the military -- from his childhood ambitions, to the time he joined the cadets, until he finally entering the forces in October 2007.

"He was a man who was brave, honest, generous, ready to help anyone," she said.

"He was a wonderful nephew."

Chantal Laurin, who knew Peloquin as a cadet in the nearby town of Lachute, recalled him as disciplined, polite and "very determined."

"We've lost a hero, a young man loved by everybody," she said, as the hearse carrying his coffin drove by.

"Goodbye, Alex."

Photographs displayed at his funeral show Peloquin as a boy with a dark hair and a wide smile, posing in a T-shirt with a camouflage print or in a blue cadet uniform in front of a Canadian flag.

During the funeral, many of the fallen soldier's friends wore T-shirts or badges with the Superman symbol on it because Peloquin was such a huge fan of the superhero.

Known to friends as 'Pelo,' he came from a prominent local family.

"The family is large and Brownsburg is small," said Jill Morrison, who lives near the family and says the town has been united in its grief.

"We're all friends, it's a small street, a small town. A good town."

After the ceremony, a knot of family and friends lingered outside the church, giving each other support, hugs and sharing words of remembrance.

"We were so proud," Chevrier said. "We didn't have him for long, but we will miss him."

Peloquin became the 119th Canadian soldier to die during the Afghan mission since 2002 but his death was followed six days later by that of Cpl. Martin Dube who was killed when a roadside bomb he was trying to defuse exploded.

Peloquin belonged to the 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Regiment, and was based at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier near Quebec City.

He had been serving as a member of the Van Doos' 2e Bataillon during a six-day operation to find and neutralize improvised explosive devices.

Despite his death, the Canadian military described the operation aimed at disrupting insurgent activity in the area as highly successful.