Fort Worth native Donovan Duke and his family came together to remember his brother-in-law: U.S. Army Sergeant first-class William Allen Mosteiro. "If the conversation wasn't about the Mavericks or the Rangers or the Cowboys, he would work it back to the military—war—that’s what he read about. He was just a solider from the beginning of his life that's all he ever wanted to do,” Duke said.
But on Valentine’s Day in 2007, a gunshot wound killed Sgt. Mostiero in Taji Iraq. Sgt. Mostiero is now part of a tribute; his photograph is among the nearly 600 others that line the "Remembering Our Fallen" memorial.
The 200-foot long memorial honors Texas soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. "Whether it's been two years or two months or five years the pain is still there," Donna Cranston, the founder and executive director of Defenders of Freedom said.
Cranston’s non-profit organization will help move the memorial across the state. "Many will get to see it—and get to see who exactly it is who scarified. Not only do they see their names, but they also see their faces," Cranston said.
The memorial was funded by Bellevue University and built by Patriot Productions. "I'm glad to hear that they're going to continue to travel around the state so all of us can remember constantly what's been done for our freedom to be here," Duke said.
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The exhibit is open daily to the public at the Fort Worth convention center until June 27, it will then head to Temple. Defenders of Freedom is currently looking for financial partners to support the cost of moving and setting up the display across the state.
For more information visit: http://www.defendersoffreedom.us/remembering-our-fallen.php
