Flag to Honor the Memory of Sgt. Samuel M. Demers, USMC Veteran

During the month of July, the 82nd Lights for Peace flag to fly at the Fort Taber – Fort Rodman Military Museum honors the memory of Sgt. Samuel M. Demers, a United States Marine Veteran from New Bedford, who passed away on June 20, 2022, at the age of 25.

Demers was born and raised in the city of New Bedford and attended Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School, graduating in 2015. Sam grew up playing baseball with the South End Youth Athletic Assoc. and was a member of the GNBVT track team.

He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps shortly after graduating high school, serving faithfully for seven years as a Rifleman, Squad Leader, and Platoon Sergeant.

Demers deployed three times during his seven years in the U.S. Marines in support of the Global War on Terror. His first deployment was in support of the Black Sea Rotation Force (BSRF) to Romania in 2016. According to the website marforeur.marines.mil, this was a semi-annual deployment of approximately 500 U.S. Marines and Sailors. Their mission was to conduct multilateral operations and military exercises with NATO allies and partners to enhance the stability in the region. Lt. Col. Ansel highlighted the mission by stating:

“As Marines, we come to this part of the world to support NATO and show our commitment. We have people here that have fostered relationships for years. We have people that have directly assisted BSRF. Those relationships transcend boundaries that contribute directly to regional security.”

His unit was then deployed to Okinawa, Japan in 2017. Their mission primarily consisted of 6-month rotations through the Unit Deployment Program and continuous forward deployments with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to 31stme.marines.mil. These forces were stationed across various Marine Corps installations to maintain readiness in the Indo-Pacific.

Demer’s final deployment, Operation Inherent Resolve, took place in Iraq in 2019. According to Wikipedia, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) was the United States military operation named for the international war against the Islamic State — a group also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, more commonly known as ISIS.

Sgt. Samuel Demers was serving with Weapons Co., 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms when he passed away from health-related issues. He was very proud to be serving his country and even prouder to be a Marine.

Sgt. Demers was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with two bronze stars in lieu of third award, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

Sam was survived by his wife and best friend, Milena (Murphy) Demers, and their daughter Ayla Demers, who was born during his 2016 deployment; his father and stepmother, Greg and Sarah Demers; his mother, Reagan Demers; his siblings Alexandra Demers, along with her children Mason and Noah Belo, Haleigh Jefferson, and James Jones; his stepbrother Hunter Daigle and his daughter Sophia Daigle; and many loving grandparents, cousins, family, and friends.

He was a Massachusetts sports fan, cheering for all his home teams including the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, and the New England Patriots. He loved watching his teams and rooting for them. He loved spending time with his friends and family, but most especially his wife and young daughter.

According to his obituary, Sam always had a broad smile and laugh; he instantly made you feel like a friend. You were truly blessed to have the opportunity to know him. He will be remembered as kind, goofy, warm-hearted, and a loving husband, father, son, and friend.

Linda Ferreira, of Empire Ford, researches the life histories of area residents. American flags are provided by Empire Ford. Flags are raised by the staff at Fort Taber – Fort Rodman Military Museum. Those who would like to honor a local veteran in the future can contact Ferreira at [email protected].