Jacobson, 21, who once lived in Riviera Beach and had many relatives in Broward County, was killed Sept. 28 when a roadside bomb exploded near her convoy.

The airman 1st class was laid to rest with military honors in a new "war heroes" section at Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Cemetery in Pompano Beach.

As flags gently flapped above the burial site, two jets soared overhead. Loved ones embraced.

"Every member within the military considers her a hero," Chaplain Peggy Wilkins said during the service.

Jacobson's parents, Marianne Earheart and David Jacobson, who live in California, somberly accepted U.S. flags tightly folded into triangles.

"We loved Elizabeth very much and are extremely proud of her," the family wrote in a statement.

"Elizabeth made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and the cause of freedom."

Jacobson was assigned to the 17th Security Forces Squadron at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. She had served in the Air Force for two years, and had been in Iraq for about three months.

Air Force spokesman Capt. Kevin Tuttle confirmed Jacobson was the first female airman killed in the Iraq conflict.

"She was a sparkplug that made the squadron go," said Col. Scott Bethel, also based in Texas.

He recalled how she set her sights high and dreamed of one day becoming chief.

"She'd even sit in his chair," Bethel said.

Air Force Major Ken O'Neil said he remembered a young lady who always had a bright smile.

"Everything she did while she was with us, she did with passion," he said.

Jacobson was born in Orlando, raised in California, and lived briefly in Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County. Her family received a bronze star that she was awarded for bravery under fire, an achievement medal and a purple heart.

After hearing of Jacobson's death, the funeral home created the war heroes plot. The service and burial plot were free of charge, Forest Lawn general manager John Banas said.

Banas said he wanted to create an appropriate place of honor for Jacobson. In the event that they might be needed, there are three other places reserved for service members who die in the line of duty. The plots are within an area of the cemetery reserved for veterans.

"If it weren't for them, doing what they do, we would not be free here to do what we do," Banas said.

Survivors include her father, David Jacobson of Vallejo, Calif.; mother Marianne Earheart of California; three sisters; a brother; grandfather Allan Jacobson of Pembroke Pines; grandparents Cos Cosimano and Sondra Millman-Cosimano of Riviera Beach; and great-grandfather Veto Cosimano of Tamarac.

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