SAN DIEGO (FOX5/KUSI) -- A San Diego native killed in action in Iraq years ago is now at rest at Miramar National Cemetery next to his brothers and sisters at arms.
It was an honor 20 years in the making.
"To have it finally happen was kind of a cloud off of our backs, so to speak, but also on the other hand, it was hard to do. It's like opening the whole wound for a second time," said John Holley, the father of U.S. Army Specialist Matthew Holley.
Matthew was killed in action in Iraq on November 15, 2005, after an IED exploded under the Humvee he was in.
Thursday, his remains were moved from Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Bonita to the Miramar National Cemetery.
"This option wasn't available to us in 2005 because Fort Rosencrans was full and Miramar was not constructed yet. So this was a journey to bring him to rest in his final resting place," said Stacey Holley, his mother.
The Holleys sat at the ceremony surrounded by loved ones and people who benefited from their son's legacy.
"He was carefree, easy going, charismatic, very talented artistically and athletically. It's kinda cliché-ish to say it, but as a parent, just a heart of gold," said Stacey.
Specialist Holley's parents said they raised him to always be a cut above and serve others. He did both even after death. He changed the way fellow service members are brought home if they are killed in action.
When he was brought home in 2005, the Holleys were not okay with the way their son would return.
"We asked, 'Please explain to us how this works.' So, that's the first time we found out how they were bringing the fallen home, as freight on commercial airliners. So, John stepped out in the hallway and said, 'No, this isn't going to happen to Matthew,'" Stacey explained.
They worked to create the Holley Provision, which brings those killed in action back home on charter planes rather than on commercial flights.
The Holleys say that since it went into effect in 2007, nearly 5,000 families have benefited from receiving their loved ones in a more dignified way.
The overall journey to honor their son has been decades long. If Matthew were here today, his parents think he'd be rooting for them.
"Way to go, Mom and Dad. I think our son would say, 'you taught me to be a cut above,' and (he) certainly was a cut above," said Stacey.
The Holleys will also be speaking at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery ceremony on Memorial Day at 10 a.m.
The couple also has a GoFundMe up to help pay for other expenses associated with moving Holley's remains to the Miramar National Cemetery.