Fallen Stars Memorial project spokesperson Mimi Martin became emotional during an event announcing Herkimer County Community College’s sponsorship of 30 men and women killed while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Martin said her husband Sgt. Shawn P. Martin was killed by an improvised explosive device after just six days in Iraq, and the project has helped her realize those who have died “were all people with families.”
Standing in front of a memorial filled with stars representing the fallen; she motioned to a display of all the names and faces and fought back tears before thanking the college, “Their certificates don’t even fit on that table.”
Martin commented on the project closing in on honoring the 216 soldiers from New York state killed to date in the conflicts, but focused on the far-reaching importance of acknowledgment.
“We won’t stop,” she said, and even after every star is sponsored, “Don’t stop remembering them; don’t stop thanking them.”
Martin then read the names of the 30 soldiers HCCC sponsored, which was followed by a solemn silence.
President Ann Marie Murray said looking at the certificates “I see the absence of their presence in our future [and in the lives of those close to them] that absence will be here forever.”
The college dedicated 30 activities this fall in memory of the individual fallen stars.
Ray Lenarcic, project chair, said “Every one of these people is special.”
In an effort to further demonstrate the impact of the lives lost, project organizers are in the process of adding photos of each soldier to the stars.
He said, “Names are one thing; faces are another.”
In addition to sharing the biography, profiles, photos and a certificate with sponsors, Lenarcic said the project plans to contact the families of the soldiers as “something that can help in the healing process... [to show] they may be gone, but they’re not forgotten.”
Following summaries of several fallen stars, Lenarcic described the battle of Sgt. Merlin German.
Two weeks before returning home, German received burns over 97 percent of his body in a roadside bombing.
There was a “new war to wage: against the odds,” he said, “[And] in spite of it all he fought on.”
German went on to inspire other injured soldiers and start Merlin’s Miracle to raise funds for children’s causes.
But tragically during a routine surgery the brave soldier died, said Lenarcic.
He closed by requesting a few things from the audience: Thank every veteran for his or her service; memorize the saying, How do we define courage? “Sgt. Merlin German,” and when facing adversity remember his perseverance and belief that anything can be accomplished.
The public still has the opportunity to sponsor fallen stars - with a project or donation to the McKenna-Glover Foundation for injured marines - before and after Veteran’s Day.
Also, the mural is available for display.
For information, call 866-4870, 866-7765, or visit www.fallenstarsmemorial.com.
Herkimer, N.Y. —
