MILITARY MATTERS: New Fallen Hero Monument Dedicated in Troy AL

TROY, Ala. (WTVM) - Just a day before Memorial Day, a dedication ceremony was held for a new monument in Alabama, honoring a fallen hero. That monument now sits in Alabama at Troy’s Bicentennial Park to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“It honors all of those who fought and died,” Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said.

This structure remembers those who served in Operation Iraqi freedom, in Afghanistan, and around the world in the War on Terror that followed 9/11.

It’s called the PFC John E. Brown Memorial. Brown served in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division. This new memorial memorializes him as a “Fallen Hero.” This new monument features a pair of boots, a rifle and helmet… the gear that remains after a service member is lost. Brown’s family tells me this memorial means the absolute world to them.

“With it being out here, you’re able to come out her and take time with him. Be able to communicate with him. And then also, it will give other people an opportunity to see what he done for this town,” Brown’s brother-in-law Shane Tatum said.

“It is not about individuals in the Army. It’s about soldiers doing their job. They get the job done. No matter what the cost, no matter what the sacrifice,” Brown’s Battalion commander Rodney Mccants said.