Army Sgt. Who Helped Create Memorial for Fallen Heroes Now Added to List of Names Being Honored
According to the Boston Herald, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Emond wanted nothing more than to help the families of veterans who had paid the ultimate price.
During his military career, he participated in an impressive seven combat tours. He didn’t initially start in the Army, either. Emond served as a Marine scout-sniper before becoming an Army Green Beret.
While recuperating from injuries and desperately trying to get well enough to fight once more, he encountered a nonprofit trying to solicit capital to fund a public memorial to veterans who perished.
Emond became interested. And thus Massachusetts Fallen Heroes was born.
The nonprofit’s website states that “we memorialize our fallen and we provide programs and services for our Veteran and Gold Star Family community. Help us honor the memories of the Massachusetts men and women who served since September 11, 2001 and gave their lives for our nation.”
According to CBS Boston, the Fall River, Massachusetts, resident proved instrumental in the creation of a 50-foot memorial honoring the Bay State’s fallen warriors.
Tragically, in 2018, Emond perished while fighting in Afghanistan, felled by a roadside bomb. He was 39 years old.
He left behind a wife, Allie Emond, and young daughters. That made those at Massachusetts Fallen Heroes reevaluate matters.
“The reality of the mission has come full circle,” said executive director and veteran Dan Magoon. “It’s important that we honor him not only as a fallen hero but as a co-founder.”
The new monument to Sgt. 1st Class Eric Emond at the Mass. Fallen Heroes memorial. What a powerful tribute. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/mT510EgyiW
— Liam Martin (@LiamWBZ) May 24, 2019
On May 24, the memorial received a re-dedication and its 50 foot height received a new element.
Officials included a freestanding glass memorial dedicated to Emond. It bore a picture of the smiling sergeant dressed in combat fatigues.
Its inscription reads, “United States Marine, United States Army Green Beret, Wicked Awesome Husband and Father.”
Fellow veteran and friend Mike Brown said, “Eric had a very extraordinary life. His outward appearance was very ordinary, by design. There are hundreds of names.
“I know he’d be uncomfortable with all the individual attention, being singled out. But he was an extraordinary person. Everything he did was at such a high level. It’s symbolic of all of them.”
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