Left to right: Mrs. Diane Griffin, mother of Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Griffin, Mr. Charles Griffin, father of Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Griffin, Miss Makayla Griffin, daughter of Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Griffin, and Ms. Amy Griffin, wife of Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Griffin, stand beside the Griffin Field dedication plaque, Presidio of Monterey, Calif., July 2.
VIEW ORIGINAL
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. (July 3, 2024) — The Presidio of Monterey honored a former Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center student during a field dedication ceremony on July 2.
The field adjacent to the PoM Exchange, formerly known as hilltop field, is now called Griffin Field, in memory of Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy W. Griffin. Griffin, 1978-2019, graduated from the Korean Basic Language Course at the DLIFLC in 2005.
Family members of Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Griffin, along with leadership from the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion, USAG Presidio of Monterey and Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, stand for the playing of the national anthem during the Griffin Field dedication ceremony, Presidio of Monterey, Calif., July 2.
VIEW ORIGINAL
Griffin was killed in action on September 16, 2019, by small arms fire during combat operations while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.
Lt. Col. Benjamin Griffin, 229th Military Intelligence Battalion commander, was the presiding officer for the ceremony and gave remarks to those in attendance.
Lt. Col. Benjamin Griffin, commander of the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion, honors the life and legacy of Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy W. Griffin during a speech at the Griffin Field Dedication ceremony, Presidio of Monterey, Calif., July 2.
VIEW ORIGINAL
“Sgt. 1st Class Griffin showed what it meant to be an American Soldier,” Lt. Col. Griffin said. “He was a marquee professional, proficient and dedicated to his fellow soldier. Greatness like that demonstrated by Griffin requires work, including the work he performed here.”
Griffin served as a special forces communications sergeant with 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Mrs. Diane Griffin, mother of Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Griffin, receives honorary DLI coin from a member of the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion during the Griffin Field Dedication ceremony, Presidio of Monterey, Calif., July 2.
VIEW ORIGINAL
The dedication ceremony was supported by the Presidio of Monterey’s Survivor Outreach Services program and planned by Golf Company of the 229th Military Intelligence Battalion. Golf Company is the Korean language company that Conrad would have been assigned to during his time at DLI.
“A soldier dies twice, once on the battlefield and once when their name is forgotten,” said Nate Pleasantbey, support coordinator for the Presidio of Monterey’s Survivor Outreach Services office. “The dedication of Griffin field keeps the name and legacy of Sgt. 1st Class Griffin alive. It gives a sense of immortality to the name, which is important for the surviving family members.”
The Griffin Field dedication is the second dedication on the Presidio of Monterey in 2024, the first being the June 8 dedication of Conrad Field.
The Griffin Field dedication plaque was officially unveiled at the pavilion next to Griffin Field, Presidio of Monterey, Calif., July 2.
VIEW ORIGINAL
To learn more about the men and women memorialized at the Presidio of Monterey, visit the memorialization page on our website here: https://home.army.mil/monterey/about/memorialization
