thedrifter
04-29-06, 07:38 AM
12-foot oak honors Marine son, `hero, neighbor, friend'
By Thomas Monnay
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted April 29 2006
DAVIE · The oak trees at The Ridge of Nob Hill community remained standing after Hurricane Wilma, unlike other landscaping throughout the town.
So when the Forest Ridge Women's Club decided to honor Sgt. Adam Cann, killed in Iraq on Jan. 5, they chose to plant a 12-foot oak in hopes it will serve as an everlasting reminder of the Marine's bravery, courage and service to his country. Under the tree will be a plaque that reads: "In Honor of Sgt. Adam Leigh Cann, Our Hero, Our Neighbor, Our Friend."
The tree-planting ceremony, which coincided with National Arbor Day, was held Friday on the southwest corner of a passive park near the entrance to the development, east of Nob Hill Road and south of State Road 84.
Police Chief John George, Fire/Rescue Chief Don DiPetrillo and Mayor Tom Truex were there to pay their respects to Cann's parents, Carol and Leigh Cann, who live in the development.
"It just touched me when I found out about Adam passing away," said Patti Reid, a club member and family friend. "It will be a reminder of Adam."
Cann, 23, who was born in Davie in 1982, was killed in Ramadi when a suicide bomber walked into a crowd and detonated a vest full of explosives.
Leigh Cann said Adam, who died a few weeks before his 24th birthday, was supposed to return home this month. He said Adam Cann, who was working security at a police recruiting center, shielded two fellow Marines and his bomb-sniffing dog, Bruno, during the explosion.
"He was tough as nails. I'm very proud of him," said Leigh Cann, a production manager at the Florida Department of Transportation in Miami. "Adam was a different kid. He was very responsible and did things for people he did not even know.''
He said Gov. Jeb Bush has agreed to name the FDOT building after Adam. "I guess I will never retire," he said, saying the naming could take place in July.
Adam Cann, who joined the Marines in 2000 after graduating from Plantation High School, served in Afghanistan before going to Iraq in 2005. He was assigned to the border between Syria and Jordan, but volunteered to work in Ramadi, his father said.
"He always wanted to be where the action is," Leigh Cann said. Adam Cann received several medals, including the Purple Heart.
Thomas Monnay can be reached at tmonnay@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7924.
Ellie
By Thomas Monnay
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted April 29 2006
DAVIE · The oak trees at The Ridge of Nob Hill community remained standing after Hurricane Wilma, unlike other landscaping throughout the town.
So when the Forest Ridge Women's Club decided to honor Sgt. Adam Cann, killed in Iraq on Jan. 5, they chose to plant a 12-foot oak in hopes it will serve as an everlasting reminder of the Marine's bravery, courage and service to his country. Under the tree will be a plaque that reads: "In Honor of Sgt. Adam Leigh Cann, Our Hero, Our Neighbor, Our Friend."
The tree-planting ceremony, which coincided with National Arbor Day, was held Friday on the southwest corner of a passive park near the entrance to the development, east of Nob Hill Road and south of State Road 84.
Police Chief John George, Fire/Rescue Chief Don DiPetrillo and Mayor Tom Truex were there to pay their respects to Cann's parents, Carol and Leigh Cann, who live in the development.
"It just touched me when I found out about Adam passing away," said Patti Reid, a club member and family friend. "It will be a reminder of Adam."
Cann, 23, who was born in Davie in 1982, was killed in Ramadi when a suicide bomber walked into a crowd and detonated a vest full of explosives.
Leigh Cann said Adam, who died a few weeks before his 24th birthday, was supposed to return home this month. He said Adam Cann, who was working security at a police recruiting center, shielded two fellow Marines and his bomb-sniffing dog, Bruno, during the explosion.
"He was tough as nails. I'm very proud of him," said Leigh Cann, a production manager at the Florida Department of Transportation in Miami. "Adam was a different kid. He was very responsible and did things for people he did not even know.''
He said Gov. Jeb Bush has agreed to name the FDOT building after Adam. "I guess I will never retire," he said, saying the naming could take place in July.
Adam Cann, who joined the Marines in 2000 after graduating from Plantation High School, served in Afghanistan before going to Iraq in 2005. He was assigned to the border between Syria and Jordan, but volunteered to work in Ramadi, his father said.
"He always wanted to be where the action is," Leigh Cann said. Adam Cann received several medals, including the Purple Heart.
Thomas Monnay can be reached at tmonnay@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7924.
Ellie