New Jersey

NJ Woman Honors Legacy of Fallen Soldier

Memorial Day Weekend is a time of reflection for Amanda Charney as she looks back on the life and legacy of her fiancé, Army Staff Sergeant and Green Beret medic Marc Small.

“He was a fun-natured, easygoing, patient person who just loved to be outdoors, enjoy the moment and be around his friends and family,” Charney said. “I remember him as a man who loved his country more than anything. He was impacted by 9/11. It really hit him hard. He just stepped up and said, ‘it’s my turn.’”

Charney still remembers the last moments she spent with the love of her life.

“The day he left I remember giving him a kiss goodbye,” she said. “I was crying and he said, ‘I’ll be back. It’s a little vacation. I’ll be back in six months.”

It would be the last time Charney saw him alive. Small died in combat in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was 29-years-old.

Charney told NBC10 she’s kissed his picture every day since his death six years ago. On Saturday she sat on a bench under a weeping willow tree in Collingswood, New Jersey. It was a place where she and Small would often go to take photos, moments she spent with him that were especially valuable considering the amount of time they spent apart.

Charney, a speech pathologist, hasn’t let her pain stop her from honoring Small’s legacy. She started a foundation in Small’s memory called “Small Steps in Speech,” that raises money for children with communications disabilities.

Charney will never forget her fiancé. And as the nation celebrates during the Holiday weekend, she also asks that others not forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

“If you can bring out your American flag put it on your front step,” she said. “If you can go and take a few minutes just to pause and reflect on the sacrifice that these men and women have made.”
 

Contact Us