Heroes you don't hear about . . .

SEARCY, Ark. (AP) -- Family members say an Arkansas soldier's buddy tried to shield him before both were killed in an attack in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Jonathan J. Richardson, of Bald Knob, was buried Tuesday in North Little Rock after a funeral in Searcy.

Richardson's mother, Sharon Dunigan, says Richardson and Pfc. Jason Kropat from White Lake in Sullivan County were killed March 9 when a suicide bomber disguised as an Afghan police officer detonated a bomb.

Richardson's stepfather, James Dunigan, says other soldiers told the family that when the bomber approached the site, Kropat pushed Richardson out of the way and tried to shield him from the explosion.

The 24-year-old Richardson and Kropat, 25, were assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Kropat, who graduated from Monticello High School, was buried Friday in Evergreen Cemetery.

At a private service Brig. Gen. Warren Phipps Jr. presented the family with Kropat's Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and several other commendations for valor.