State Representatives Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) and Mike Curtin (D-Marble Cliff) took part in a ceremony to dedicate the Marine Sgt. Jesse Balthaser Memorial Highway. The ceremony was held on Sept. 2 at the Mapfre Insurance Office, in Columbus.
“We are grateful that we were able to memorialize the sacrifice Sgt. Balthaser gave for each of us with this memorial highway,” said Grossman.
Marine Sgt. Jesse Balthaser, 23, was stationed at Camp Leatherneck in southern Afghanistan. He served two previous deployments in Iraq before serving in Afghanistan, where he was killed by a roadside bomb on Sept. 3, 2010.
Balthaser was a graduate of West High School in the Hilltop, and had his sights set on being a Marine even before graduation. After joining, Bathaser worked hard to become a sergeant with the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion.
Sgt. Balthaser is survived by his parents, Rick and Nancy Balthaser, and girlfriend, Erin McSweeney, who was expecting the birth of their first child, Reagan Michael, at the time of Balthaser’s death.
