In Sag Harbor on this Saturday morning, hundreds attended a ceremony to honor and celebrate the life of fallen 19-year-old U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter, a Pierson High School graduate, with the unveiling of a monument in his memory and the dedication and renaming of the Sag Harbor-North Haven Bridge in his honor.
During the ceremony, which lasted from 10:30 a.m. until just before noon, U.S. Marines joined state, county and local officials—including U.S. Representative Tim Bishop, New York State Senator Ken LaValle, State Assemblymen Fred W. Thiele Jr., and Sag Harbor Village Mayor Greg Ferraris—who shared sentiments about Lance Cpl. Haerter and his heroism. They then unveiled the monument and dedicated what will now be called the the Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Lance Cpl. Haerter died in April, early in his first tour of duty in Iraq, when a suicide bomber drove a truck through the checkpoint he was guarding outside the city of Ramahdi. Military officials said his actions, resulting in the early detonation of the bomb, saved the lives of more than 30 Marines and more than 50 Iraqi police.
Along with citizens, officials and veterans, 40 Marines from the young man’s regiment, 1st Battalion 9th Marines, also known as “The Walking Dead,” were on hand to remember their fallen brother in arms.
Lance Cpl. Haerter was the first Sag Harbor soldier to die in combat since World War II.
Chopper salutes bridge video