The Village of St. Joseph will honor 33-year old Afghanistan Veteran Sergeant Dustin Leemon for his service at the St. Joseph Sports Complex Veterans Memorial Plaza on Sept. 6 at 6 p.m.
Leemon, son of Joseph and Barbara, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2007 and served until 2013. Having completed boot camp in San Diego, he then continued his military training in North Carolina where he became a Combat Engineer, specializing in, among other things, demolitions and mine clearing techniques.He then went on to join the 6th Engineer Support Battalion out of Peoria, IL.
In 2009, Sergeant Leemon received orders to support 7th Engineer Support Battalion who would deploy to the Helmand Province in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this deployment, Sergeant Leemon was tasked with convoy security as a machine gunner, and along with his unit, completed approximately 120 re-supply missions to various outposts in the region. Sergeant Leemon returned state-side in July of 2010.
During his tenure, Sergeant Leemon was awarded as the company high marksman in boot camp, was a 3-time rifle expert, and a pistol expert. Sergeant Leemon earned a Meritorious Mast for Excellence in Leadership and organized various training initiatives for his unit to ensure they were operationally ready.
Now a resident of Colorado, Leemon will be joined in St. Joseph with his wife Megan, two brothers and other family members. The St. Joseph community is also invited to the presentation of a Military Service Street Sign for his service to the community and United States of America.
