DAYTON — Captain Shawn English was just 35 years old when he was killed in the line of duty in Iraq.
His family says Wright State was the place that made him the military man and leader he is remembered as today.
On Friday, the Wright State community came together to dedicate a garden in his honor.
“This is where our story began. This is where we got married, had our first child,” said Tricia English, English’s widow.
Captain English graduated from Wright State in 1999.
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Tricia says this is where he got the experience to be the leader so many knew him to be.
Officially, the space is now known as the Captain Shawn English Champion Garden.
“Champion” is the word Tricia hopes people focus in on.
“He had champions that lifted him up and allowed him to live the life that he wanted, and then he became a champion for others,” Tricia said.
That in part was why this was something important for the Raider community.
Not only honoring a Raider taken far too soon but to create a place where people can come together.
“That was the goal, right, is to create a space where people could gather because when you belong, belonging really manifests in friendship,” said Dr. Seth Gordon, Director of Wright State University Veteran and Military Center.
While Tricia and the English family are touched this is the only memorial in Ohio honoring Captain English, it’s still a day full of emotions.
“It’s still tough, but I think more of the beauty of it is able to shine through so really, it just makes my heart swell to know that he’s remembered and his short 35 years of life are still having an impact,” Tricia said.
She shared her hope for visitors in the dedication ceremony.
“I hope it’s a reminder to just keep going,” Tricia English said.
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