They grew up together, they joined the Army together and this weekend they were buried together.
Privates Declan Deere (21), from Ballyroe, Athy, and Jonathan Murphy (21), from Pairc Brid, Athy, were laid to rest side by side in St Michael's Cemetery in their home town on Saturday.
In a final farewell, their families and close friends stepped forward from the hundreds of mourners to place wreaths and roses on their graves.
A 21-shot salute and the Last Post, played by a trumpeter from the band of the Western Brigade, brought the ceremony to an end.
Earlier, in St Michael's Church, Mgr John Crowley, head chaplain to the Defence Forces, spoke of the close bond between the two young men.
"Going to the Lebanon was the realisation of a dream. To work there was about real soldiering." They had planned the same holiday on which they had just embarked when they were killed on St Valentine's Day. Private Murphy was due to meet his fiancee, Ms Dawn Wheelan, and Private Deere his girlfriend, Ms Linsey Dooley.
The two women are close friends and Mgr Crowley made reference to their plight. "Your dreams and hopes were taken away and we feel for you."
For the parents, he said, it was difficult to find words of comfort. "It is truly against nature to bury your child, for when we bury our parents we close the door on the past, when parents bury their children it closes the bridge to the future. We cannot begin to comprehend your loss, your bewilderment, the shattering of your hopes and your dreams. We offer you our solidarity, our sympathy, our support.
"It is truly non-sense that men with such vitality, enthusiasm and zest for life should be taken from us in such a cruel manner. We grasp for meaning but it's not within our reach." One could only hope, he said, that the outpouring of goodwill and affection would carry the two families through. "How many fathers, mothers, wives and girlfriends, their hearts trembled when the news came through about the accident in Lebanon?
"They knew it could be their boy. Their relief became for you devastating pain and sorrow."
The accident had also struck at the heart of the Third Infantry Battalion B Company, with which whom the two served.
Private Deere, known as "Deckie", "was a kind, considerate, thoughtful soldier," said Mgr Crowley. "He was the kind of individual others turned to." For Private Murphy, or "Murph", his family was very special, particularly his brother, Nigel, "his pride and joy".
Leading the attendance was the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, the President, Mrs McAleese, and her husband.
They were accompanied by the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt-Gen David Stapleton, and Capt Michael Kiernan, representing the Taoiseach.
Also offering support were the parents of Private Jonathan Campbell, who died in a motorcycle accident five months ago in Beirut.
After Mass, the two coffins, each draped in the Tricolour and the United Nations flag, were carried on gun carriages to the cemetery.
Private Deere is survived by his parents, Paddy and Brigid, and his brother, Alan, a soldier based at Cathal Brugha Barracks in Dublin. Private Murphy is survived by his parents, Eamonn and Tina, and his brothers, Edmund and Nigel.
