Special tribute to honor fallen soldier, Flintridge Prep alum Sgt. Scott Studenmund
This year’s Memorial Day service in La Cañada Flintridge will hold special meaning for a local family Monday, as the city honors Army Staff Sgt. Scott Studenmund, a 2008 Flintridge Preparatory School graduate who died during military engagement last June.
Although the tribute to America’s servicemen and women is held in Memorial Park at 9 a.m. every Memorial Day, special tributes are made whenever local residents or those with deep connections to the La Cañada community are killed in action, according to city senior management analyst Carl Alameda.
When such a tragedy occurs, the city installs a bronze plaque on a memorial wall built into the Memorial Park gazebo at the corner of Foothill and La Cañada boulevards, facing the American flag. Names are categorized by the war or conflict in which the person served.
Among the most recent individuals to be so memorialized at the local park was Army Spec. Carla Stewart, who lost her life on Jan. 26, 2007 when her vehicle overturned in Tallil, Iraq. When Studenmund’s name is added, it will represent the first local casualty in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Mayor Dave Spence said the plaque honors the heroic efforts of local citizens who, like Studenmund, served their country and made the ultimate sacrifice in doing so.
“We are honored this Memorial Day to recognize Army Staff Sgt. Scott R. Studenmund who grew up in La Cañada Flintridge and attended our local schools,” Spence stated in a news release. “Studenmund proved his dedication to our country becoming a Green Beret and served with distinction and honor while deployed in Afghanistan.”
Born to parents Jaynie and Woody on June 26, 1989, Studenmund attended Flintridge Preparatory School and was an avid scholar, football star and history aficionado. Before graduating in 2008, he was named a National Merit Finalist, an All-Area and All-League football player and was a standout member of the school’s cross-country team.
Studenmund attended Occidental and Pitzer colleges, before leaving in 2009 to join the U.S. Army. After completing 11 rigorous training programs in the Special Forces Unit, he earned the title of Green Beret and was awarded a leadership award at his graduation ceremony.
Not willing to rest on his laurels, he went on to complete a grueling seven-week combat diver qualification course at the Army’s Special Forces Underwater Operations school in Key West, Fla. — considered to be the branch’s most difficult school.
Studenmund became a staff sergeant in the 1st battalion of the 5th Special Forces Group, Bravo Company, at Fort Campbell, Ky. For his service, he received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal with the “Valor” distinction.
His journey ended on June 9, 2014, during a combat mission in Gaza Valley, Zabul Province, just two months before he was due to return home.
“He loved what he did,” Jaynie Studenmund said Monday of her son’s service. “When people said, ‘Scott, you can do anything you want to,’ he’d say, ‘I feel like it’s a calling.’”
The last thing he shared with his band of brothers, high school friends, before his January deployment was that he wanted each of them to do something important with their lives, she added.
Woody Studenmund said the family, completely surprised to learn of the commemoration, was glad to learn of the city’s tradition of honoring its veterans, and that Scott would be part of that tradition.
“We deeply appreciate this recognition for our Scott,” he said.
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Jaynie Studenmund said of Monday’s ceremony.
La Cañada Flintridge’s annual memorial service takes place at 9 a.m. Monday in Memorial Park, 1301 Foothill Blvd., in La Cañada.
