The Patriot Guard Riders of NY honored Batavia native Sgt. Shaina Schmigel Saturday afternoon with a memorial dedication at the War Memorial at the Jerome Center.
150 riders made the trip from Rush, NY to Batavia to honor Sgt. Schmigel, a paratrooper and Iraq War Veteran, who died in a nighttime airborne training operation at Fort Bragg in May of 2014.
A bench etched with a picture and remembrance of the 2010 Medina High School graduate was unveiled at the ceremony.
“She’s here today, she looking down saying really?” says Karie Schmigel, Shaina’s mother.
“She’s here today , she’s here with us all the time, the bench looks amazing, I don’t want to leave here.”