A final salute took place Wednesday for an airman who was killed making the ultimate sacrifice.

Thousands of family, friends, police and servicemen attended funeral services for Air National Guard Technical Sgt. and NYPD Detective Joseph Lemm at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan this morning.

Lemm was lovingly nicknamed 'Superman' by those who knew him. The 45-year-old husband and father of two was one of six Americans killed last week in Afghanistan when his patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber. Lemm was on his third tour of duty.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke at the service and said Lemm grew up in Iowa, dreaming of working for the NYPD. De Blasio said not only did Lemm put his life on the line for New York, but the country as well.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who attended the wake services last night, agreed Lemm was a true American hero. "You want to talk about a hero's hero, you want to talk about a man who really lived what he believed. This is a man who says 'I want to protect. I want to serve,'" said Cuomo.

Lemm was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne.