SCRANTON, Pa. — Marine veteran Dave Eisele snapped a photo of a friend he could never forget.
“It is nice seeing their face and it's the faces that I remember from 20 years ago. I served right after the towers fell so, it was a long time ago, and seeing those faces brings back a lot of good and bad memories,” Eisele said.
The national Remembering Our Fallen Memorial honors the brave men and women who died while serving our country in the Wars on Terror.
It was escorted into McDade Park in Scranton with a ceremonial military motorcade.
Starting at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township and traveling up Route 11, hundreds of people came out to show their support along the way.
“Just to see the smiles, the cries, the little kids jumping up and down, it gives you hope that we're going to have another generation that wants to fight for our freedom,” Eisele said.
It was competitive to get the memorial here for the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
Organizer Kendra Lynn made sure to request it years in advance.
It means a great deal to her to have it here because her brother Staff Sergeant Steven Tudor was killed in Iraq in 2007.
“My brother is on this wall and bringing him back to the area where he was raised and lived means so much. It makes it real for everyone around us to remember these faces. To know this is real and they’re not here anymore. Each one of them made a sacrifice for us,” Lynn said.
Another person who was relieved to see the memorial here was Jack Cleary.
His son, First Lieutenant Michael Cleary was killed in Iraq in 2005.
“We can't forget those that served, especially with what's going on now. We have to let them know that their service was not in vain,” Cleary said.
You can stop by to see the memorial through Wednesday, September 15th.