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New Aledo 9/11 memorial honors local war heroes

Fourteen years after the 9/11 attacks, the Aledo community is remembering those who lost their lives. On Sunday, a dedication ceremony honored the victims of th...

Fourteen years after the 9/11 attacks, the Aledo community is remembering those who lost their lives.

On Sunday, a dedication ceremony honored the victims of the 9/11 attacks, and Mercer County personnel who served, and gave their lives in the wars post-9/11.

Over the last year, the Aledo Police Benevolent Association raised over $30,000 for the memorial now in the center of town, across the street from the Aledo VFW Post 1571.

"I have lived and breathed this project for a year," said Sgt. Nick Seefeld, from the Aledo Police Department. "To see it get to this point and see what a wonderful turnout we had today, it gets very emotional."

"My heart goes out to all the families. It’s a tough situation and all you can do is let them know you’ll never forget their loved ones and that you’ll always remember, and this is the perfect way to do it."

The memorial includes statues, flags, engraved benches, and a wall with the names and faces of Mercer County personnel who died in the post-9/11 wars.

Seefeld said when he came up with the project idea a year ago, the community immediately rallied around him.

"We raised around $14,000 in the first six weeks for the statues," Seefeld said.

Gary and Cherie Baldwin were at the ceremony on Sunday. They lost their son, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Francis Baldwin, when his plane crashed into a mountain while serving in Afghanistan in 2010.

"He was an aviator and served in Korea and Bosnia, and this was his third tour in Afghanistan," Cherie said. "He loved the army, he loved to fly, he loved his family. He gave the army 110 percent."

Jamie Luxmore was another Gold Star family member at the ceremony on Sunday. Her husband was killed in June 2012 by small arms fire in Afghanistan. He had only been deployed there a few months before.

"B.J. was an amazing man in the army and out of the army," Luxmore said "It's an absolute beautiful memorial and a beautiful ceremony, and it’s a great place I can bring our son to see that, and talk about his dad, and talk about all the other people who have given their lives for this country."

The full list of Mercer County military personnel honored on the memorial wall is listed below:

  • Petty Officer 1st Class Jerry Allen Tharp, 44, of Aledo. Tharp died on July 12, 2006, as a result of enemy action when his dismounted patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device while in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.
  • Captain Joshua Eric “Josh” Steele, 26, of North Henderson. Steele died on June 17, 2007, near Panjway, Afghanistan, when the Humvee in which he was a passenger detonated an improvised explosive device.
  • Lieutenant Colonel Robert Francis Baldwin, 39, of Clarksville, Tenn., formerly of Aledo. Baldwin died on September 21, 2010, in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; when the helicopter he was in crashed in Zabul Province, Afghanistan.
  • Staff Sergeant Courtney Jo Rush, 27, of Cottageville, S. C., formerly of Aledo. Rush enlisted in the Air Force in June 2003 and was deployed to Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Qatar for Operation Enduring Freedom. She died Jan. 3, 2012 at her home.
  • Brandon John Howlett, 24, of Oceanside, Calif., formerly of Aledo. Howlett enlisted in the US Navy Nov. 1, 2006 and was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2008  - March 2009. He participated in more than 80 missions. He died on April 7, 2012 in California.
  • Corporal Bryant J. “B.J.” Luxmore, 25, of New Windsor. Luxmore entered the US Army in April 2011 and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia. He was killed in Afghanistan on June 10, 2012 .
  • Sgt. Jeffrey “Jeff” T. Wells, 32, of Aledo. After high school graduation, Wells joined the Illinois National Guard, becoming active duty with the US Army in 2003. He served three tours in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Wells died on August 14, 2015 in Chicago, after a short battle with Sarcoma cancer.

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