Joseph Lemm 'really was Superman'

A somber ceremony was held at Stewart Air National Guard base Monday afternoon as the body of New York City Police Detective Joseph Lemm, of West Harrison, returned to New York in advance of his wake and funeral.

"He really was Superman," Maj. John Torres, chaplain for the Air National Guard's 105th Airlift Wing said during the hour-long 'ramp ceremony, citing Lemm's nickname. "It's hard not to smile when you recall his antics. It's harder still to believe that he's gone... He embodied honor to the end."

Family members, along with NYPD officials, current and retired members of the Air National Guard's 105th Airlift Wing, and a detachment of Marines were on hand to meet the C-17 transport plane that carried Lemm's body from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. About 400 people attended the ceremony to honor the 45-year-old Lemm, one of six Americans killed Dec. 21 when their patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan.

A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.

Lemm, a technical sergeant who served in the U.S. Air Force and joined the Air National Guard after being discharged, was on his second deployment to Afghanistan when he was killed. He had also served a tour of duty in Iraq.

Dozens of officers and airmen from all over New York State lined the outside of the Ballard-Durand funeral home on Maple Avenue in White Plains around 5:30 p.m., after a motorcycle escort accompanied Lemm's body to the funeral home.

His casket was brought inside the funeral home, to the sound of bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace."

First responders from the area, including police and firefighters, were stationed on many Thruway overpasses to salute Lemm as the procession passed by.

Patrick Porteus, an NYPD officer from Somers, came to the funeral home on his own accord. Porteus, who served in the Navy as well, stood nearby saluting along with the other, uniformed officers.

“I came to pay my respects,” said Porteus, who was wearing his NYPD motorcycle club jacket. “He’s a brother in blue."

"It’s like a second family. We look out for each other," he added.

Coverage: Military, police honors for Joseph Lemm's funeral

Appreciation: A grateful nation mourns Joseph Lemm

Members of his unit at Stewart stood in formation in the cold, gray day outside a huge hangar where the transport plane was parked. They saluted as eight airmen in dress blues carried his flag-draped casket down the plane's ramp and to a waiting hearse.

Lemm's daughter, Brooke, and son, Ryan, cried as they touched the coffin from the back of the hearse. His wife, Christine, was helped from the hangar by New York City police officers and also briefly touched the casket.

The ceremony ended with the playing of "Amazing Grace" by a lone bagpiper.

Matt Coyne contributed to this report 

Continuing coverage

Lohud.com and The Journal News will provide continuing coverage of the services for National Guard Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm, who was also an NYPD detective.

A wake is scheduled for 2-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Tuesday at Saint Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in West Harrison.

The funeral Mass in New York City on Wednesday will be celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, assisted by Rev. Christopher Monturo, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

After a military helicopter flyover, the funeral procession will head to Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, where Lemm is to be buried.