Brandon Twp.- A permanent memorial to honor 2003 Brandon graduate Pfc. Joseph A. Miracle, who was killed in military action July 5, 2007, will be dedicated before the Sept. 12 Blackhawk football game.
The event will take place at 6:45 p.m., just prior to kickoff and will feature color guard.
Following a recommendation from the Brandon Building and Site Committee in January, the board of education OK’d the memorial, which consists of a raised masonry flagpole base with an attached plaque in front of the flagpole at the new Brandon High School Activities Complex.
Miracle was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for valor.
‘It’s a lasting honor for a hero,? said Kim Toreli, friend of the Miracle family. ‘Joe was absolutely crazy over football’there’s no better tribute to him and the family. The community will never forget the sacrifice Joe made for his country.?
In addition, the memorial will honor 1965 Brandon High School graduate Army Sgt. Thomas A. Sherman and 1966 graduate Marine LCPL James T. Sutton. Both men were killed in action during the Vietnam conflict and were active members of Brandon High School and on athletic teams. Separate plaques beneath and adjacent to the Miracle plaque will be added to recognize the eight men from Brandon High School killed in action during the Korean War and WWII.
The $3,500 project was funded from the sale of armbands and private donations, with excess donations going to the Joseph A. Miracle Memorial Scholarship.