thedrifter
10-03-06, 07:37 AM
Father of fallen Marine honors vow to veterans
Memorial dedication is Saturday
By Patti Zarling
pzarling@greenbaypressgazette.com
HOBART — Ken Jerabek soon will make good on a promise he made to families who also lost sons on a fateful day in Iraq.
Jerabek's son, Ryan, was killed April 6, 2004, in Ramadi, Iraq, when his patrol was ambushed by insurgents. Ten Marines and a U.S. Navy medic were killed in the firefight.
When meeting with other families, Jerabek said he promised "their sons would never be forgotten." A memorial to honor them, as well as other veterans, will be formally dedicated Saturday at Four Seasons Park in Hobart.
The memorial includes commemorative bricks honoring veterans from around the country and from all branches of military service, Jerabek said. Bricks represent vets from California to Florida, he said. So far, more than 100 bricks have been purchased, and Jerabek expects many more.
"This dedication is for (veterans)," he said. "We're honoring the men and women who fought to give us the rights and freedom we have."
The memorial, he noted, is in a very scenic area and should lend itself to quiet contemplation and reflection.
Local builders donated time and materials to the site, he said. "This wouldn't be possible without them. Many of their fathers served, and they wanted to help out."
The memorial is complete, and village staff will work on landscaping, said Hobart administrator Joe Helfenberger.
The featured speaker will be former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was serving as police commissioner during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Village President Richard Heidel and Kerik were members of the same military police company.
"I can imagine no other individual who could bring more dignity to our event, more admiration from our village's residents or more pride in being an American and a veteran on this occasion than Bernie Kerik," Heidel said in a written statement.
Although the memorial will keep Ryan Jerabek and others in the public consciousness, it doesn't end the pain for the Jerabek family, Ken said.
"I don't think as a family we're ever going to heal," he said. "It's pretty hard. It happened two and a half years ago, and there still isn't a day that goes by that we don't cry.
"I hope no one forgets him, or any of the others that have died. ... His memory won't be forgotten."
Ellie
Memorial dedication is Saturday
By Patti Zarling
pzarling@greenbaypressgazette.com
HOBART — Ken Jerabek soon will make good on a promise he made to families who also lost sons on a fateful day in Iraq.
Jerabek's son, Ryan, was killed April 6, 2004, in Ramadi, Iraq, when his patrol was ambushed by insurgents. Ten Marines and a U.S. Navy medic were killed in the firefight.
When meeting with other families, Jerabek said he promised "their sons would never be forgotten." A memorial to honor them, as well as other veterans, will be formally dedicated Saturday at Four Seasons Park in Hobart.
The memorial includes commemorative bricks honoring veterans from around the country and from all branches of military service, Jerabek said. Bricks represent vets from California to Florida, he said. So far, more than 100 bricks have been purchased, and Jerabek expects many more.
"This dedication is for (veterans)," he said. "We're honoring the men and women who fought to give us the rights and freedom we have."
The memorial, he noted, is in a very scenic area and should lend itself to quiet contemplation and reflection.
Local builders donated time and materials to the site, he said. "This wouldn't be possible without them. Many of their fathers served, and they wanted to help out."
The memorial is complete, and village staff will work on landscaping, said Hobart administrator Joe Helfenberger.
The featured speaker will be former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was serving as police commissioner during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Village President Richard Heidel and Kerik were members of the same military police company.
"I can imagine no other individual who could bring more dignity to our event, more admiration from our village's residents or more pride in being an American and a veteran on this occasion than Bernie Kerik," Heidel said in a written statement.
Although the memorial will keep Ryan Jerabek and others in the public consciousness, it doesn't end the pain for the Jerabek family, Ken said.
"I don't think as a family we're ever going to heal," he said. "It's pretty hard. It happened two and a half years ago, and there still isn't a day that goes by that we don't cry.
"I hope no one forgets him, or any of the others that have died. ... His memory won't be forgotten."
Ellie