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SALT LAKE CITY — Sgt. Dan Brown of Jerome, Idaho, was killed in Afghanistan three years ago. But his larger-than-life statue will stand as the centerpiece of a lasting memorial to a generation of Idaho war heroes who never came home.
"That was his purpose in life: to serve our country," said his mother, Becky Brown. "And he did, proudly."
Salt Lake portrait sculptor Lena Toritch recently finished the clay statue of Sgt. Brown, and will send it to the foundry to be cast in bronze. The fallen soldier's family is eager to honor their son and his comrades in their hometown of Jerome.
"He gave it all for our country, for our freedom," said his mother.
Early next fall, when the bronze statue is complete, Sgt. Brown's parents hope their entire community will visit Gayle Forsyth Memorial Park to honor the sacrifices made by all fallen soldiers from Idaho.
Jerry and Becky Brown were in Salt Lake City last week to visit Toritch's studio and see the final clay product. When they stare at the statue of their fallen son, it stirs deep emotions.
"I see America, America's freedom," said Becky Brown.
The terrorist attacks of 9/11 motivated Dan Brown to join the Army right after high school. Recruiters visited his high school, and he went home that day and proclaimed he was joining the Army.
"He was really excited," said his mother. "He wanted to do the right thing. That's what he said, 'I want to do the right thing. I want to make a difference.’ ”
After two tours in Iraq, Brown was deployed to Afghanistan as a tank commander with the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division. His father said he was always concerned about his son when he was in Iraq, but not necessarily afraid for his life. When Brown deployed to Afghanistan, it was different.
"I just had a different feeling of something going wrong when he went to Afghanistan," said Jerry Brown.
The night of March 24, 2012, Brown and his unit had set up a vehicle checkpoint with Afghani police officers. One of the police officers discovered a roadside bomb not far away from the checkpoint, so Brown and his unit went to check it out.
That was his purpose in life: to serve our country. And he did, proudly.
–Becky Brown, veteran's mother
"Just before they got to the IED, Dan kept the other guys in his unit back away, and said, 'Get back here, stay back here to make sure you're safe,’ ” his father said.
Brown, another sergeant and their interpreter went to check the area around the bomb, where five Afghani policeman were standing around the bomb.
"Dan and the interpreter went up, you get the guys away from the bomb, and that's when it went off," his father said.
Eight men died in that blast, including Brown.
"I felt that I had to do something to keep Dan's memory alive of what he sacrificed, and all of the other men who sacrificed their lives for our country," said Jerry Brown.
They admired Lena Toritch's work on other military statues, and commissioned her to sculpt their son.
"I want people to see that he's a beautiful human being," said Toritch. "It has to be very natural." And accurate down to the last detail on the uniform, the eyes and the smile.
Born and trained in St. Petersburg, Russia, Lena Toritch is a U.S. citizen who lives in Salt Lake City. She feels it is her mission to create sculptures that help people find comfort and hope while honoring the service of American soldiers.
"It's my calling to really tune into the character and depict them accurately," she said. "It's not just a project for me."
She forges a bond with her subject, a person she never knew.
"I get very emotional," Toritch said. "Sometimes I start crying. I take it very close to my heart."
She wanted to make sure the statue of Brown portrayed an uplifting message, not a sorrowful one.
"It comes to me: how he would smile, how he would turn, how he would high-five a child."
And that's the pose the Browns selected for the portrait of their son: a smiling Sgt. Brown reaching out to the extended hand of an Afghani child. His rifle is lowered at his side.
Brown left behind a wife, and twin daughters he never met. His parents get together with the twins every weekend, rekindling memories of their son.
"Maddie looks a lot like Dan," Becky Brown said of her granddaughter. "Sometimes it brings me to tears seeing her."
Soon, those girls, and all who visit Gayle Forsyth Memorial Park in Jerome, will sense the sacrifice of the fallen soldier.
"We never want to forget," said Becky Brown. "That statue will hopefully be there forever for everybody to remember and never forget."
The memorial will be dedicated this fall. The Browns are still raising money for the plaza, which includes a 24-foot wall listing the names of Idaho soldiers killed since 9/11.
The family has set up a GoFundMe account* for the Idaho Fallen Soldiers Memorial.
*KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
