Suffolk County police unveiled a new vehicle Saturday that carries the name of a fallen Marine from East Northport.
The vehicle, a squat, heavy-duty truck equipped with a forklift and a small crane, was acquired from military surplus. The names of the police department, and Cpl. Christopher Scherer, who was killed in Iraq in 2007, appear on the driver’s door of the vehicle.
Chief of Department Stuart Cameron noted that the department had named other vehicles for members of the military service killed in the line of duty, including a Humvee in honor of Lt. Michael J. Murphy, who was killed in action on June 28, 2005, and an emergency rescue vehicle to Air National Guard Master Sgt. Christopher Raguso, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq on March 15, 2018.
The vehicle, known as a unimog, will be used by the department and the Suffolk County Rescue Task Force to move materials as needed and during events.
Scherer’s parents, Tim and Janet, were on hand to thank police department representatives, as were Peter Sclafani of Star Energy Transportation, who donated his time to detail the vehicle and Tom Ronayne, director of the Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency.
“He was known for his crazy humor and big smile, when Chris entered a room, everyone knew it,” Tim Scherer said. To remember their son and honor other veterans, the Scherers created the Cpl. Christopher Scherer I Did the Grid race in East Northport. It kicks off the Suffolk Veterans Race Series every year.
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