As a third grader, Dylan Merola had purchased a glass heart with flowers on it for his mom at a small store the school had set up for holidays. Now the heart sits among items Cheryl Rex has received over the last year to honor Merola’s life, which ended one year ago as he stood guard at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport.
On Aug. 8, a posthumous medal commemorating Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola for his actions on Aug. 26 while standing guard at Kabul’s airport in Afghanistan was presented to his family during Disneyland’s somber Flag Retreat Ceremony.