In front of 400 friends and family, and with boyfriend Spencer Pratt at her side, The Hills' Heidi Montag bid a farewell to her stepbrother Eric O'Hara at a memorial service Wednesday in her hometown of Steamboat Springs, Colo.

"I didn't write anything down today, I just couldn't. Eric was the best brother I could ask for," Montag said in her tearful goodbye. "He was happy, strong and an amazingly patriotic person. I'll never forget how he could make me smile. I will remember all the times we had together and cherish all the memories, the good ones and the bad ones. Eric was a true hero. I love him and I will miss him."

Heidi Montag, who flew back to Colorado after O'Hara, 24, fell and died in a freak accident last Thursday, took solace in her family during the service.

After U.S. servicemen from Eric O'Hara's 82nd Airborne Division gathered around his flag-draped casket to share stories about his military service (O'Hara was a veteran of several combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan), the family headed across the snow-covered street to the Tugboat Grill and Bar.

Our hearts go out to the family, and we look forward to seeing Heidi Montag back in a happier environment - The Hills - in just a couple of weeks.