American Legion Post 374 to Hold Memorial Fundraiser

Members of in Berkley will sell wristbands Friday during CruiseFest and Saturday during the Woodward Dream Cruise to raise money for a memorial at the post.

The Fallen Soldier Battle Cross – a pair of boots with a helmet and an upside-down rifle – will be dedicated next spring, said Judge Advocate Dale Goodcourage of American Legion Post 374.

The monument is normally made out of bronze, stands about 4 feet tall and sits on a slab of granite about 2 feet tall, Goodcourage said. He said the Post 374 memorial will include a separate plaque on which fallen veterans' names will be inscribed, as well as a flagpole and a bench.

"I want people in this area to understand what soldiers do," Goodcourage said.

The project will cost approximately $6,000, he said.

American Legion members will sell the wristbands – similar to those worn by cancer awareness advocates – for $3 on Friday at Post 374 and along 12 Mile Road, he said.

The Fallen Soldier Battle Cross plaque initially will bear the name of Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Leach, who served as last year's grand marshal in the Berkley CruiseFest parade, Goodcourage said. Leach, a reservist from Ferndale, died in June while on active duty in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He had previously served two tours in Iraq.

Any money raised above and beyond what is needed to build the monument will be used to start a scholarship fund for Leach's eight-month-old son, Goodcourage said.

"His little boy Jack doesn't have his dad to hold his hand," Goodcourage said. "So, we're building a bench there that will be Jack's bench."

Leach became an honorary member of Post 374 when he served as CruiseFest grand marshal last year, Goodcourage said.

"Every military active duty – woman or man – is entitled to dues-free membership at the American Legion," he said. "We're here to help veterans when they come in harm's way and their families if they need help."