New memorial dedicated in Blaine honors fallen soldier
More than a decade after he was killed in action, Army Spc. Eric Finniginam was honored in the country he was just beginning to call his own.
He was killed in a mortar attack in May of 2010, just weeks after earning his U.S. citizenship. One of his comrades, Erik Bakken, grew up in the Twin Cities, and wanted a permanent tribute to Finniginam in his adopted country.
So he raised the money to create a memorial bench in Blaine. It was dedicated on Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Park in Blaine.
“Meeting Finn changed my life. To be honest, I'm not too sure of very many people whose lives weren’t made better by meeting or serving with specialist Eric Finniginam,” Bakken said. “He was just the kind of guy you gravitated towards, the kind of guy you wanted next to you in a crappy situation.
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Finniginam was from the island of Yap, part of the nation of Micronesia in the south Pacific.
His mother, Maria, and his daughter took the seven-thousand-mile trip to be a part of Saturday’s ceremony. She said her son grew up wanting to be a soldier.
“I really thought that was the hardest time of my life, to say goodbye to my first born son and see him off to the Army. He came back home before his deployment and assured me, ‘don’t worry mom, I’ll be back before the summer,’” Maria Finnginam said. “As with any mother, I was looking forward to getting my son back. I will never forget that day when I heard the news and he was killed in action.”
She said she was grateful to Bakken for his efforts, and to Blaine for becoming her son’s honorary U.S. hometown.
“I’m beyond blessed with the legacy my son has left behind and the friends he made throughout his time in the army, whom I now call my family as well,” she said.
The tribute featured a rifle salute to Finniginam. The family was also presented with a flag that flew over the park during the ceremony.