Sergeant First Class Eric Michael Emond was born on September 23, 1979, in Riverside, California, and grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. He attended Osborn and Healy Elementary Schools and Henry Lord Middle School and graduated from B.M.C. Durfee High School in 1997. He loved every Boston sports team, he loved firearms and above all he loved serving his country.
Right after high school Eric enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served for seven years as an infantryman and Scout Sniper, deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq and, while still a Marine, completed the Army’s Ranger School. In 2005 he joined the West Virginia Army National Guard with the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2006.
In 2009, during a deployment to Afghanistan, Eric was severely wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade during an ambush. Despite brain and spinal injuries, he continued to engage the enemy for five hours and helped save the lives of several teammates. His wounds could have ended his career with a medical discharge, but Eric rehabilitated himself and fought to stay in uniform. In 2014 he returned to active duty and was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg as a senior weapons sergeant. When he was home, he devoted himself to supporting the families of the fallen through Massachusetts Fallen Heroes.
In 2018 Eric deployed for the seventh time, with an Operational Detachment Alpha advising and assisting Afghan forces in Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. On November 27, 2018, an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle during combat operations in the Andar District of Ghazni Province. Eric was killed along with his detachment commander Captain Andrew Ross and Air Force Staff Sergeant Dylan Elchin. He was 39 years old.
Over a 21-year career in two services, Eric earned three Bronze Star Medals, three Purple Hearts, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, two Combat Action Ribbons, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Special Forces Tab and the Ranger Tab. The last Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal were awarded posthumously.
Eric made his home in Aberdeen, North Carolina, with his wife, Allie, and their three daughters, Lucy, Ruby and Emilia. Family, friends and teammates gathered for a memorial in Southern Pines in December 2018, and he was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. A friend described him as “just a wonderful, wonderful young man. Kind, compassionate, a soldier’s soldier.” His name is also inscribed on the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial in Boston’s Seaport Common.
SFC Eric Emond was killed in Andar, Ghazni province when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle while serving in combat operations in Afghanistan.
Memorial Valor Foundation
Sources
- ARSOF History: Sergeant First Class Eric M. Emond
- Massachusetts Fallen Heroes: Sergeant First Class Eric Emond
- VA News: #VeteranOfTheDay Eric Michael Emond
- Department of Defense: DoD identifies three Operation Freedom’s Sentinel casualties
- Green Beret Foundation: Eric M. Emond
- Family-provided records on file with MVF: Eric Emond bio
