thedrifter
06-14-09, 08:35 AM
Work pays honor to fallen Marine
By SANDY DAVIS
Advocate staff writer
Published: Jun 14, 2009
Former Marine Staff Sgt. Joe Dimond still remembers the day in 2006 when he saw his friend, Lance Cpl. Ryan McCurdy, shot and killed by a sniper in Iraq.
“It’s something I live with every day — remembering my friends,” Dimond said.
Dimond, 32, of Pennsylvania, was inside a building in Fallujah that day, but he could see McCurdy, who was using a concrete barrier for protection.
McCurdy, 20 and a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, and Cpl. Clifton Trotter were two of three Marines taking turns standing post on the outer side of the concrete barrier — which was open to the Iraqi people.
“They had to have someone stand out in the open because you couldn’t see around the concrete barrier,” Dimond said.
Snipers were a problem in Fallujah, Dimond said.
“We had had about 20 Marines get shot by snipers,” he said.
It was Trotter’s turn to stand post.
While Trotter was outside of the protection of the barrier, a sniper fired at him, wounding the Marine.
McCurdy bolted from the barrier to drag the fallen Marine back to safety, but the sniper fired another shot and hit McCurdy, Dimond said.
McCurdy died instantly, but Trotter lived.
After Dimond left the Marine Corps, he said, he wanted to get involved with something that would help protect soldiers in battle.
He joined Dynamic Defense Materials, a Pennsylvania-based company that designed a new type of armored protective barrier with windows that soldiers can erect within minutes.
“It looks a lot like LEGOs,” Dimond said.
The protective barrier is designed to replace the concrete and sandbag barriers — which are still used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Marines were among the first to purchase the product, Dimond said.
Before it went on the market, Dimond asked the company to name the product McCurdy’s Armor, after his friend.
“When we were still considering this, one of the company’s executives said that we had to be careful so it didn’t look like we were capitalizing on something this tragic,” Dimond said.
Dimond called Janice McCurdy, Ryan’s mother, to see if she would support the idea.
“I thought it was a great idea,” she said.
And Dimond wasn’t worried about what anyone else thought.
“I know why I’m doing this,” he said. “Besides, you’re always going to have naysayers.”
Dimond was aware that Janice McCurdy and officials with the Christian Life Academy of Baton Rouge were trying to build an activities center in Ryan McCurdy’s honor.
“We’ve decided that we’d donate a percentage of what we make from the sales of the armor to the activities center,” Dimond said.
So far, organizers for the Ryan McCurdy Memorial Activities Center raised about $800,000 from private and individual donations.
They used the money to build the outer shell of the building.
“We need about $1.2 million to finish the inside,” said Jere Melilli, founder and pastor for Christian Life Academy. “We’re following a pay-as-you-go plan because of the current economy and right now we’re out of money.”
The two-story activities center will have two full-size basketball courts; a high-tech theater for performing arts and movies with seating for about 200; an elementary fun area; an area for tutorials; a dining room; and a meeting area, Melilli said.
“Our idea is to make it into a family center where everyone in the family will have something to do,” he said.
And in honor of McCurdy’s passion for sports, the facility will also host sports tournaments and even sports clinics, Melilli said.
Melilli said he has talked to Dimond about the company’s funding plans.
“He was forthright and sounded sincere and he had a really well thought-out plan,” Melilli said of Dimond. “And they’re doing something that they don’t have to do.”
Melilli said the building fund has already received a small check from the company.
“And as concrete as his plan sounds, I do anticipate him coming through with more funds,” Melilli said.
Melilli said that from the time he found out about McCurdy’s death, he knew he wanted to create some sort of memorial to the boy he saw grow into a man.
“He was here literally from the cradle to graduation,” Melilli said of McCurdy attending Christian Life Academy. “He was a role model in everything he did. His life had integrity and he was a delight to be around.”
Janice McCurdy said her son, who was awarded a Navy medal and a Purple Heart, always knew he had a purpose for his life.
“I always knew he could take care of himself in the Marines,” she said. “But I didn’t count on someone else needing help.”
Ellie
By SANDY DAVIS
Advocate staff writer
Published: Jun 14, 2009
Former Marine Staff Sgt. Joe Dimond still remembers the day in 2006 when he saw his friend, Lance Cpl. Ryan McCurdy, shot and killed by a sniper in Iraq.
“It’s something I live with every day — remembering my friends,” Dimond said.
Dimond, 32, of Pennsylvania, was inside a building in Fallujah that day, but he could see McCurdy, who was using a concrete barrier for protection.
McCurdy, 20 and a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, and Cpl. Clifton Trotter were two of three Marines taking turns standing post on the outer side of the concrete barrier — which was open to the Iraqi people.
“They had to have someone stand out in the open because you couldn’t see around the concrete barrier,” Dimond said.
Snipers were a problem in Fallujah, Dimond said.
“We had had about 20 Marines get shot by snipers,” he said.
It was Trotter’s turn to stand post.
While Trotter was outside of the protection of the barrier, a sniper fired at him, wounding the Marine.
McCurdy bolted from the barrier to drag the fallen Marine back to safety, but the sniper fired another shot and hit McCurdy, Dimond said.
McCurdy died instantly, but Trotter lived.
After Dimond left the Marine Corps, he said, he wanted to get involved with something that would help protect soldiers in battle.
He joined Dynamic Defense Materials, a Pennsylvania-based company that designed a new type of armored protective barrier with windows that soldiers can erect within minutes.
“It looks a lot like LEGOs,” Dimond said.
The protective barrier is designed to replace the concrete and sandbag barriers — which are still used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Marines were among the first to purchase the product, Dimond said.
Before it went on the market, Dimond asked the company to name the product McCurdy’s Armor, after his friend.
“When we were still considering this, one of the company’s executives said that we had to be careful so it didn’t look like we were capitalizing on something this tragic,” Dimond said.
Dimond called Janice McCurdy, Ryan’s mother, to see if she would support the idea.
“I thought it was a great idea,” she said.
And Dimond wasn’t worried about what anyone else thought.
“I know why I’m doing this,” he said. “Besides, you’re always going to have naysayers.”
Dimond was aware that Janice McCurdy and officials with the Christian Life Academy of Baton Rouge were trying to build an activities center in Ryan McCurdy’s honor.
“We’ve decided that we’d donate a percentage of what we make from the sales of the armor to the activities center,” Dimond said.
So far, organizers for the Ryan McCurdy Memorial Activities Center raised about $800,000 from private and individual donations.
They used the money to build the outer shell of the building.
“We need about $1.2 million to finish the inside,” said Jere Melilli, founder and pastor for Christian Life Academy. “We’re following a pay-as-you-go plan because of the current economy and right now we’re out of money.”
The two-story activities center will have two full-size basketball courts; a high-tech theater for performing arts and movies with seating for about 200; an elementary fun area; an area for tutorials; a dining room; and a meeting area, Melilli said.
“Our idea is to make it into a family center where everyone in the family will have something to do,” he said.
And in honor of McCurdy’s passion for sports, the facility will also host sports tournaments and even sports clinics, Melilli said.
Melilli said he has talked to Dimond about the company’s funding plans.
“He was forthright and sounded sincere and he had a really well thought-out plan,” Melilli said of Dimond. “And they’re doing something that they don’t have to do.”
Melilli said the building fund has already received a small check from the company.
“And as concrete as his plan sounds, I do anticipate him coming through with more funds,” Melilli said.
Melilli said that from the time he found out about McCurdy’s death, he knew he wanted to create some sort of memorial to the boy he saw grow into a man.
“He was here literally from the cradle to graduation,” Melilli said of McCurdy attending Christian Life Academy. “He was a role model in everything he did. His life had integrity and he was a delight to be around.”
Janice McCurdy said her son, who was awarded a Navy medal and a Purple Heart, always knew he had a purpose for his life.
“I always knew he could take care of himself in the Marines,” she said. “But I didn’t count on someone else needing help.”
Ellie