Sapulpa Neighborhood Honors Fallen Soldier

It was an emotional moment, as Tiffany Owen unveils a monument in honor of her husband, U.S. Army SSGT Kirk Owen.

Owen's life was taken in Afghanistan when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He left behind a wife and two daughters.

Nearly a year later, the Freedom Park Homeowners Association in Sapulpa named a neighborhood park in Kirk Owen's memory.

"I know that people that come to visit the park are going to always know and remember him," Tiffany Owen said.

The Owen family moved to a house on Freedom Street in 2006. Tiffany Owen says the park holds special memories.

"He brought the girls out here to play basketball from the day we moved in," Tiffany Owen said.

"I'm doing OK," Tiffany Owen said. "We're hanging in there still. Been to a lot of different memorials and things like that, so still have a long road, don't we?"

The ceremony drew dozens of family, friends and even complete strangers.

"Not everybody makes it back in one piece," retired veteran John Young said. "Those that don't and those that do, deserve to be honored. And I'm very proud to live in a patriotic community like Sapulpa."

Those in the small town of Sapulpa say the dedication ceremony is a perfect example of what their community is all about.

"We come together," Sapulpa resident Everett McCullough. "This is what America is about. That's what Americans are. We come together in occasions when we need to come together."

Sapulpa City Councilor Marty Cummins said: "I was very proud. Proud American and really proud of the Sapulpans that showed up to support him."