Legion dedicates Van Alstine memorial

The crabapple tree has been flowering beside Superior High School for years. Now, people will know why.

Two weeks ago, Bill Duffy placed a plaque beside the tree to remind people that it was planted in honor of a young man who paid the ultimate price for his country. Friday, Duffy and fellow members of the Richard I. Bong American Legion Post 435 dedicated the granite memorial to Lance Cpl. Adam Van Alstine.

“Bill was real adamant about having it,” said legion member Jim Wickstrom.

The plaque was important to Duffy, judge advocate for the post and a relative of Van Alstine.

“People will see it, they’ll know what the reason for the tree is,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s just a tree.”

Van Alstine attended school at Superior high and graduated with his goal firmly in place — to become a marine. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2004. The Superior native was killed by a roadside bomb in Ramadi, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2006, while serving his country during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

His sister Dawn Meyers said Adam was always laughing, joking and making the best of every situation. He loved his family, friends and being a marine, she said. He was 21 when he died.

“This is pretty special,” she said of the dedication ceremony and plaque. “We want people to know what this tree is for.”

Members of the Superior School District’s Indian Education Program planted the tree about five years ago in Adam’s honor. It’s a fitting setting for a tribute to her brother, Meyers said, in a spot where students will see it.

“I think it’s great, especially if they learn his story,” she said. “School was hard for him. He had to struggle for good grades” and overcome bad choices to reach his goals.

What does Meyers miss most about Adam?

“Him, just him,” she said. “His voice, smile, his hug. All of it. Everything.”

Duffy said the granite slab the plaque was mounted on was donated by X-Treme Granite of Superior. His daughter, Peggy, said having the memorial beside the tree is a “wonderful thing.”

“It feels so good that people still remember,” said Adam’s sister Jennifer Van Alstine. She shared hugs with members of the American Legion after the ceremony.

“They’re all family to me,” she said.

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