After years of planning, the Pittsfield V.F.W. dedicated a new memorial to the five Berkshire residents killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan War on Friday morning.

Arnie Perras, VFW Post 448 Commander said, "This was a thing I had planned for several years, and it's on my bucket list you might say, and I'm so happy that we were able to do this."

For Perras, it was important the dedication be on the 19th Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

However, there was no guarantee the memorial would be built in time.

"The original stone was supposed to be coming from India. They have a special way of processing and mining the stones, and so because of COVID-19, it never got on the boat," Perras said.

Luckily, they were able to find a replacement stone, albeit a foot shorter than the original.

Also included in the memorial is a time capsule. Memorial Committee member Mark Pompi says it will be opened on the 100th Anniversary of 9/11.

"All five of the gold star families donated personal items from each of the members that lost their lives in action," Pompi said. 

For Pompi, the memorial is deeply personal, having served alongside the family of one of the soldiers killed in action.

Pompi said, "I worked for Specialist [Mitchell K.] Daehling's father. I was actually working the day we were notified that Mitchell was killed in action in Afghanistan. He was my direct supervisor, so to me it's personal. I know these people."