LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - Lawrence city officials and relatives of Sgt. Johanny Rosario are working to honor the Marine who was killed in Afghanistan last week as a procession prepares to bring her home.
Family members just returned from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware after Rosario was returned to U.S. soil along with 12 other service members killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan last week. The bomb also killed 169 Afghans at Kabul Airport.
Lawrence Veterans Services Director Jaime Melendez said flags have been lowered to half-staff throughout the city, and Rosario’s death has hit residents hard.
“It’s extremely trying and difficult when it’s a member of your own community,” Melendez said.
Mayor Kendrys Vasquez said Rosario’s family has set up an official GoFundMe page and officials are discussing funeral plans with relatives. He said the city will honor Rosario when the family agrees the time is right.
“The family understands she is their hero but also our hero, and whenever the family is ready we will celebrate her life in the city of Lawrence,” Vasquez said.
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