NAVARRE — Santa Rosa Leadership Class 29, a Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce program, has revealed the memorial that honors 11 victims of the March 10, 2015 crash of Black Hawk UH-60 helicopter, call sign MOJO 69.
Friday, community members, elected officials, victims' family members, and military members visited Navarre Park to see the monument to Louisiana Army National Guard members George Wayne Griffin Jr., George David Strother, Lance Jacob Bergeron, Thomas Charles Florich III and United States Marine Corps members Stanford Shaw III, Thomas Saunders, Liam Flynn, Andrew Seif, Marcus Bawol, Trevor Blaylock and Kerry Kemp. Naval Air Station Whiting Field Cmdr. Capt. Todd Bahlau hosted the event.
The leadership class broke ground on the project Jan. 29. On the tragedy’s anniversary, with the memorial partially complete, victims' family members received 11 stars cut from the memorial.
Following the anniversary event, 14 Marine Raiders from Camp Lejeune, N.C. began a relay-style march, meeting up with other Marine Raiders to finish back at Camp Lejeune.
Friday, the community saw the completed memorial: an eagle atop an American flag, sitting on a tapered pillar with the missing 11 stars, all rested on a pentagonal foundation bearing the United States Navy, Coast Guard, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps seals. Five concrete benches surrounding the monument bear the same seals and names of the memorial’s platinum sponsors. A sixth bench nearby memorializes prisoners of war and those missing in action.
An unexpected addition to the memorial is a pair of combat boots. Bahlau said that, before last year's anniversary, organizers discovered the boots left at the then-incomplete memorial bearing the victims' names written with marker on the heels. The anonymous donor, Bahlau said, was part of the accident's search and rescue team.
"We just considered it part of the dedication of this community," Bahlau said. The boots will be on permanent display as part of the memorial at the visitors' center.
Santa Rosa County Commissioner Rob Williamson, a leadership class member, said after the anniversary event a couple told him, "You did us proud tonight. You represented us well’ … I felt a connection … to be part of something bigger than me … In that moment I thought, 'This must be what it's like to wear the uniform.'
“So I say to the families of the men who lost their lives doing the dangerous work of protecting our freedom … they did us proud. They represented us well."
Guest speaker, United States Navy Capt. and leadership class member, Mark Murray, said the term "The Greatest Generation," for those who lived during World War II, implies subsequent generations are less.
"That is simply not true,” he said. “The men of MOJO 69 and their sacrifice are proof of that."
That leadership class civilians organized the memorial project was the most meaningful part, Murray said.
"It was the civilians who developed the idea, crafted the plan, ran the traplines, coordinated the fundraising and so much more behind-the-scenes efforts than I can properly capture," he said.
"To the family and friends of the men of MOJO 69, our prayer is that this memorial gives you some measure of comfort as you move forward — comfort that the love and support of people whom you’ve never met, are standing strong for you and your 11, our 11," Murray said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'They represented us well'