EATON — On the second anniversary of the death of Kurt Muncy, a former Preble County and City of Eaton Law Enforcement Officer, a dedication ceremony was held in his honor.
Muncy’s fiancé, Jackie Christopher, designed the Kurt Muncy Veterans Memorial Garden, which is dedicated to Muncy and in memory of other veterans.
“We all knew and loved Kurt,” Christopher said. “He was definitely the love of my life and anything that I can do to show that in any way I do it.”
The brief ceremony, which was held at the Preble County Senior Center where the garden is located, was attended by his family, friends, co-workers and law enforcement officers.
“When I thought about this garden it was a multi-fold purpose and I know Carol (Kurt’s mother) was always worried that Kurt was going to be one of those that we all knew him, we went to school with him, we grew up with him, even worked with him, and that people would forget him,” Christopher said.
“This, I thought, would be something that would have his name. That would go on and on. It is also something I donated to the center. They can use it also as a veterans memorial garden, but also a donors memorial garden.”
Two years ago, on July 2, 2013, Muncy was killed in a suicide bombing while working as a private contractor training Afghani officers.
Muncy had taken a voluntary leave from the Preble County Sheriff’s Office when the county was going through financial troubles, so a friend who had kids could keep his job, according to his father Buddy.
He had recently been home to celebrate his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, which he helped plan with his brother Jeff, just days before the bombing.
The day Kurt returned to Kabul, he was one of a dozen people killed.
Kurt was a 1989 graduate of Eaton High School and attended the police academy. In addition to working for the EPD and PCSO, he was a former police officer with the West Alexandria Police Department before becoming a contractor for DynCorp International in Falls Church, Virginia and was serving in Kabul with the Afghan National Police Development Team at the time of his death.
Christopher said she hopes the garden is a place where Carol can go and visit and that Buddy can see on a daily basis.
“It’s also a place, that I’m hoping, Carol will get out of the house, come into the garden, enjoy the garden and have someplace fun, exciting and peaceful to come to — other than being at the cemetery,” she said. “I’m hoping that it achieves that goal and that Buddy can look at it every day while he is working and driving by.”
“It’s unreal. It’s quite overwhelming,” Carol said. “It’s just beautiful.”
