ELKHART -- With sleet gushing from gunmetal gray clouds, some 30 Marines standing in three trim lines saluted the U.S. flag that four of their brethren used to christen a new pole.
A large engraved stone set at the base of the 38-foot pole explained the occasion: "In memory of Corporal Aaron L. Seal. Who gave his life for our country. 1982-2006."
The Marines from Engineer Company B joined several dozen community residents and well-wishers at a ceremony Wednesday honoring Seal, the 23-year-old Elkhart reservist who died last fall in Iraq. Seal's family also attended the 20-minute tribute at Elkhart Community Schools' administration building adjacent to Memorial High School -- the fallen Marine's alma mater.
"How do you thank a community that gives so much?" Seal's father, David Dunn, said. "I just pray that we get a little stronger every day and the next day is a little better than the last."
One of Seal's childhood friends and her mother organized the observance. Several local companies donated the memorial marker, the flag pole and the statue of a golden eagle perched atop it.
The commanding officer of Seal's South Bend-based unit said the ceremony befit the young man.
"He was a great man," said Maj. Mark Boone. "He touched everyone who he made contact with."
Immediately after Seal's death, Boone said, the unit took time to remember him but kept the purpose of its mission in mind.
"We had a job to continue," he said. "I speak for the whole company when I say we're thankful to be here with you today."
The more than 100 members of Engineer Company B returned in March from a seven-month assignment to clear routes and rebuild structures in Iraq.
The unit was about a month into its deployment when Seal died in a sniper attack Oct. 1 in Baghdad.
Military officials awarded him the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve medal and other honors.
Seal worked at Dutch Housing in LaGrange and was a 2001 graduate of Memorial High School.
The school district's superintendent, Mark Mow, said the flagpole dedicated to Seal should remind the community of Seal's -- and other military members' -- service and sacrifice.
It is also close to home for Seal's parents. The pole juts into the sky about a quarter-mile east of their house along C.R. 12.
Contact Jason A. McFarley at jmcfarley@etruth.com.