BOISE, Idaho — On June 5, 2005, Corporal Carrie French was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on a deployment to Iraq as a member of the Idaho National Guard. CPL. French was the first woman from Idaho to die in combat while serving her country.
"While it is an extraordinary honor to be here today, it is difficult," said Marisa McCarter, a friend of French who deployed with Carrie in 2005. "I wish we didn’t lose anyone on that deployment."
See more of this statue and its origin story —
The Idaho State Veterans Cemetery dedicated a new monument to honor female veterans and at the center of it was the new statue of Carrie French.
During the unique ceremony, generations of women who served in the armed forces, including a 103-year-old who was in World War II, pulled the curtain off the statue.
Carrie's family was the first to see it up close.
The statue was designed by world-renowned sculptor Benjamin Victor.
RELATED | A new statue holds a special meaning for veterans on Memorial Day weekend
"I think it looks exactly like her, it just chokes me up to look at it," said Paula Hansen, Carrie's mother. "It’s her face, it’s her hand movement, and it’s her. It’s beautiful, I love it."
This statue was years in the making. Its origins go all the way back to 2013 when Danny Pugmire created the Idaho Veterans Garden in French's hometown of Caldwell.
They have been raising funds for years and decided the statue would be better served at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery.
Marisa McCarter provided personal details to Benjamin Victor to help him recreate Carrie French in bronze.
The statue depicts two female soldiers enjoying a moment of solitude before the mission. The sculpture even incorporates the watch Carrie wore during her deployment.
"The pain is proof of love. It’s proof that these moments existed, that these friendships that I will be forever grateful for are real," said McCarter. "These memorials are not just to honor the fallen, but to heal and uplift the living, just like Carrie did."
"Women deserve this," said Hansen. "It’s beautiful and she was beautiful. She will forever be young and beautiful from now on."
The statue will serve as the centerpiece for ceremonies in the future as many donors came together, including the John Borbonus Memorial Foundation to make this happen. In the future there will be plaques at the monument to commemorate that.
