People gathered near the Mercer County Courthouse Saturday for a dedication ceremony to honor the area's fallen soldiers.
During opening statements for the dedication of the Fallen Heroes Memorial, seven soldiers were remembered for their service to our country.
Those seven individuals, who all died while fighting the war in Iraq, and who also all hailed from Mercer County, will always be remembered with the Fallen Heroes Memorial, which will permanently sit across from the Mercer County Courthouse. "Michael Marzano had died. He was the first one we had in 2005. I know his father personally, so I kind of like took it to heart," explains Dave Bailey, the president of the Mercer County Vets Motorcycle Association.
It took three years for the Mercer County Vets Motorcycle Association to raise the money to fund the memorial, a dream that has been realized with Saturday's dedication. Bailey says many other organizations helped make the dedication ceremony a reality. "Patriot Guard Riders, our organization, Mercer County Vets, Guardian Vets, the county seat here. I mean, it's just a lot of people," Bailey explains.
The father of fallen soldier Lieutenant Colonel Michael McLaughlin says the memorial honoring his son gives him a lot of pride and makes him very proud of the Mercer community. "To see a permanent memorial being placed here and him being a part of the 7 who were honored on that, I think that's a wonderful thing. It shows how the people of Mercer and Mercer County value their fallen heroes."
Organizers say a plaque will be added to the memorial with the names of the seven fallen soldiers.
