Freeway overpass in Rancho Cucamonga named after Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, SoCal Marine killed in 2021 Kabul assault

“We acknowledge that your sacrifice was not simply your personal, that it was 12 others, that it was 200 plus others,” stated a detailed buddy.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (KABC) — The Haven Avenue overpass over the 210 Freeway in Rancho Cucamonga will probably be renamed in honor of a fallen hometown hero.

“Publish mile marker 6.1.913 now to be identified eternally because the Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola Memorial freeway overcrossing,” introduced Assemblyman James Ramos of Highland.

Throughout a shifting ceremony, a number of members of the neighborhood gathered to recollect the lifetime of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola.

Merola was considered one of 13 U.S. service members killed throughout an August 2021 suicide bomb assault on the Kabul airport in Afghanistan. He and his unit have been serving to with the evacuation forward of the Taliban’s takeover.

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A decision authored by Ramos and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom will honor his sacrifice by renaming the freeway overpass situated not removed from the place Merola grew up and dreamed of turning into a Marine.

“Dylan’s defining second was the day I picked him up from boot camp … he had earned the title United States Marine by vigorous coaching. My child boy had become a person,” stated Merola’s mom, Cheryl Rex.

Rex thanked the neighborhood for his or her continued help. She remembered her 20-year-old son for his kindness, braveness and bravado.

“Dylan took satisfaction in all his efforts to get as many individuals to security as attainable. He would rise up and do that another time simply to save lots of yet another individual,” she stated.

Slightly over a yr in the past, the Haven Avenue overpass was crowded with mourners who held American flags and stood in honor of Merola throughout a procession bringing his stays dwelling to be buried.

Now, the identical overpass will bear his title for years to return remind all who move underneath and over it of his sacrifice.

“We acknowledge that your sacrifice was not simply your personal, that it was 12 others, that it was 200 plus others,” stated Merola’s finest buddy, Dakota Mancuso. “We thanks, we love you, and we miss you and we can’t neglect you.”