Left to right are John Connolly, representing American Legion Falls Post #664, Mendon Town Board member Tom DuBois, NYS Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes, Mendon Town Board member John Hagreen, Teressa DaGama, wife of National Guardsman Christian Koch, Mendon Town Board member Cynthia Carroll, Mendon Town Supervisor John Moffitt, Committee Chair Muffy Meisenzahl, Mendon Town Board member Karen Jenkins and Mendon Highway Superintendent Andy Caschetta. Photo by Heather Moffitt
Teressa DaGama, wife of Christian Koch who was one of the three National Guardsmen who perished in a helicopter crash in the town of Mendon in January was joined by Town of Mendon officials, New York State Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes, American Legion Falls Post #664 representatives, and the Citizens Advisory Committee representatives for a groundbreaking ceremony on a Military Memorial centered around a new splash park that would honor the lives, memory, and sacrifice of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, the three New York State National Guardsmen who lost their lives in a UH-60 MEDEVAC Helicopter crash in the Town of Mendon while on a training mission in January.
The groundbreaking ceremony was featured in the “Bright Spot” segment on WHAM, Channel 13 TV.
Following the crash, the Town established a Citizens Advisory Committee, comprised of community members and Town officials, tasked to work with the bereaved families to recommend a memorial site location and concept. In a special Town Board meeting held in August, Moffitt and Town Board Members Cynthia Carroll, Tom Dubois, John Hagreen, and Karen Jenkins voted unanimously to adopt the Committee’s proposed recommendations. They approved plans to establish a permanent military memorial and dedicate a new splash park to be located in Semmel Road Park in the Town of Mendon, which is located near the helicopter crash site.
“The entire Town of Mendon has been grieving the loss of these hometown heroes,” said Mendon Town Supervisor John Moffitt. “I appreciate the work of everyone in our community who offered to assist with creating a long-lasting memorial in their honor. It is a touching sentiment to think of local families gathering at a Splash Park and seeing the names of these brave men, as well as a monument that teaches them about the service and sacrifice of these heroes. We’ve wanted to bring a community splash park to Mendon for some time, and now, this project has new meaning and will help ensure the memory of these hometown heroes lives on for generations to come.”
The project includes a Memorial Monument as a place of somber reflection, as well as a community Splash Park for use by local families. A pavilion and restrooms would also be built to accommodate families who spend time at the park. The Town has been working to develop a community Splash Park for more than a year, and the report issued by the Committee concluded that this project would memorialize the memory and service of the National Guardsmen in a place where families will love going, which will be a great way for our community to recognize the sacrifice of the soldiers. Teressa DaGama, wife of Christian Koch, stated, “Christian would love a splash park and would have taken the kids there often.”
“From the very start of our work, it was our goal to memorialize these New York National Guardsmen and focus the attention on their lives, service, sacrifice and mission,” said Muffy Meisenzahl, Chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee. “Those priorities, coupled with the wishes of the families, led us to recommend a place where people of all ages could gather and learn about these men who gave so much to their country and our community.”
The “Citizens Advisory Committee for a Military Memorial” consisted of ten Mendon community members: Robert Booth, Town Board Member Cynthia Carroll, Town Board Member Thomas DuBois, Peter Lehning, Myron Lemperle, Muffy Meisenzahl (Chair), Edward O’Brien, Anne-Marie Sweeney, Stephen Tschiderer, and Dawn Worboys. The project proposal also received input from the bereaved families and Town officials.
A budget has been established utilizing Town reserves, which are the result of long-term budget strategies, and federal funding received by the Town through the American Rescue Plan.
