The memory of a fallen Navy SEAL was honored by the North Stamford Exchange Club, during a ceremony held on Saturday, February 4.

A new Freedom Shrine was unveiled by the North Stamford Exchange Club, in the hallway wall off the front lobby of Trinity Catholic High School. The shrine consisted of a series of historical U.S. documents and texts mounted on plaques, and is dedicated to Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Brian Bill.

Bill, a native of Stamford, was among 30 service members who were killed in Afghanistan last summer, after the twin-rotor helicopter transport they were on was shot down by Taliban fighters.

In attendance during the ceremony were relatives and friends, who witnessed the tearing down of green paper that covered the shrine, by members of the exchange club. The texts displayed in the shrine included such important national texts as the Declaration of Independence and the “I Have a Dream” speech delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Michael Tomasello, treasurer of the North Stamford Exchange Club, shared that the club had been trying to find a way to honor Bill, when a fellow member and teacher at Newfield Avenue high school approached him and Principal Tony Pavia about replacing the Freedom Shrine at Trinity Catholic High School, as it had fallen into disrepair.

Tomasello said: “Patriotism, Americanism, loyalty to your country — Wow, it just fits… Kids aren’t influenced enough in that line right now anymore. I can’t blame them. There’s so much going on in the world with kids. But I think schools need to go back and start teaching more history.”