A monument in the honor of a deceased serviceman from Warren will be unveiled publicly during the annual Veterans Day remembrance service Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the town common.

At its meeting in October, the town council said the death of United States Marine Cpl. David Massa will be memorialized with a stone and the renaming of the East Warren Bike Path as a tribute to his sacrifice.

The plaque will be formally dedicated during the Veterans Day ceremony and later be permanently placed at the intersection of the path near the Pete Sepe Pavilion on Asylum Road.

Councilor Louis Rego was credited with initiating the idea to do so.

Massa was among nine Marines from Rhode Island alone killed when their barracks in Beirut, Lebanon was bombed in a terrorist attack. In total, 241 Marines and US Navy sailors were murdered when the bomb struck at 6:23 a.m. on October 23, 1983. Massa, born on October 6, 1962, had only just turned 21 years old.

Council President Joseph DePasquale, at last month's meeting, read what the plaque will be etched in part about Massa, "His sacrifice will never be forgotten. May all who travel on this path do so in the peace and freedom he died to protect."

Massa's sister, Anna Massa Beard, also spoke at the session, "I just want to say thank you to everyone for honoring my brother. Even though it's been a very long time, it's still very fresh in my heart because he was my younger brother."

Massa Beard reminded that David was born in Warren and graduated from the former Warren High School. She recollected her father was at first reluctant to allow his son to joins the Marines, but relented because of David's passion to serve.

"He didn't want him going, but he was persistent," Massa Beard said of the long-ago exchange between her father and brother. "So my dad signed the paperwork, and he went into the Marines. He loved it. Unfortunately, he was only there for not even three years. And he was due to come home for Thanksgiving."

Massa Beard recalled the pain the family endured upon hearing about David's death and the week's long sense of despair they had while waiting for his body to be brought state-side after it was first taken to a US military base in Germany.

She added, "I just want to thank everyone for this honor and remembering my brother. It means a lot to me, and also to my family. So, thank you very much."

Said DePasquale, "And it means a lot to the Town of Warren."