The body of a Marine killed in Afghanistan is expected to arrive Monday at MacDill Air Force Base.
The hearse carrying the body of Cpl. Jonathan Porto will be escorted by Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies from MacDill to Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home in St. Petersburg.
Porto, 26, of Largo, was a small-arms repair technician assigned to 1st Battalion 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He joined the Marines in March 2008 and was promoted to corporal Dec. 1. That month, he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Relatives said that Porto was in a convoy in Helmand province on March 14 when the truck he was in went off course and tumbled. He was caught underneath and was killed.
One of eight siblings, Porto and his wife, Rachel, were married about 10 months ago. Their daughter was born in January. Porto never got a chance to hold his daughter.
Porto's body is expected to arrive at MacDill at 1:15 p.m., with the escort leaving the base at 1:45 p.m., the sheriff's office said.
Motorists should be expect delays along the route, which includes Gandy Boulevard, Fourth and 22nd streets and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
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