On November 11, 2019, known to many as Veteran’s Day, a plaque was dedicated to honor Senior Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy in our memorial. Stacy served in the Navy as an explosive ordinance disposal technician in more than 50 combat missions and completed one tour in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.
On the Mt. Soledad plaque, he is honored for the sacrifices he made during his time serving the United States military. On his final tour in Syria, Stacy sustained several critical injuries when an IED exploded as he and his company were clearing a hospital in an ISIS militant occupied area. His injuries include blindness in one eye, becoming a quadriplegic, and has a damaged trachea, making speaking extraordinarily difficult.
“He does not remember anything from the accident” Stacy’s wife, Lindsey, tells CBS News 8, “He is finally home. It is just a constant – trying to keep him healthy and out of the hospital”.
Barely able to speak above a whisper, Stacy asks the world to remember the sacrifices made by the families of service members. “The family makes a huge a sacrifice. It is not just the service members, so thanking a veteran and realizing what all of our guys are going out there and doing and the sacrifices that they are making, and the families are making, it is huge”. The Stacy family have endured many hardships since Stacy’s return. They’ve also received tremendous support from fellow service members as well as non-profit organizations.
He has received multiple awards including a Purple Heart, two Bronze Star medals, and three Navy Achievement Medals.
If you wish to donate to Senior Chief Officer Kenton Stacy, the Gary Sinise Foundation is hosting a fundraiser for Stacy to help the family build a more wheelchair accessible smart home. Donate here( https://donate.garysinisefoundation.org/give/245478/#!/donation/checkout)Mt. Soledad is also accepting donations so that we can continuously support and honor service members like Kenton Stacy. We are the only memorial who creates plaques for both living and deceased service members. Donate here https://soledadmemorial.org/donate/
