Sgt. Michael Ferschke Jr.
Family and friends of a fallen Maryville Marine held a fundraiser to raise money to create a bronze bust in his image.
Sergeant Michael Ferschke was killed in Iraq on August 10th, 2008, leaving behind a wife, Hota, and a son, Mickey, who was born five months after his death.
His family wants to create the bust to serve as a permanent reminder of the fallen Marine's service and sacrifice, they'll need about $50,000 to make it happen.
On Saturday, a booth was set up at Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson to raise money to help the family reach their goal.
"Having this bust is a forever reminder for generation to generation," says Sgt. Ferschke's mother Robin on the day of the fundraiser."They'll never be forgotten. They should never be forgotten. All of them."
"Wars are horrible, and nobody wants to remember them," said the Fundraising Organizer, Javier La Rosa, "That's fine, but we need to remember the people that gave their lives, people that gave many parts of themselves that are still with us, but we need to remember all of these things and honor them. In Michael, we're going to honor all of them."
Organizers will set the booth up again at Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson on July 28 & August 4th. According to organizers, there will also be a car wash in early July in Alcoa.
You can also make a donation at any Suntrust Bank.