Staff Sgt. Steven Deluzio loved his country, his family and baseball and children in his hometown of Glastonbury will be playing on a field dedicated in memory of the Vermont National Guardsman who was shot and killed in Afghanistan in August 2010.
Deluzio play Little League baseball at Ross Field and later coached there. On Memorial Day, a new flag pole and memorial plaque were dedicated in honor of the 25-year-old guardsman.
"I want him to be remembered for the hero he was and is, and sports and days like this are what he loved," his mother, Diane Deluzio, said.
During a special ceremony at the field on Monday, Deluzio's brother, Scott, a member of the Connecticut National Guard, had the honor of raising the flag. A memorial plaque with Steven Deluzio's picture was also dedicated. It will overlook the field, as if Sgt. Deluzio were there himself, an angel in the outfield to the young men who play baseball there.
"He just loved the game and and loved to coach kids and teach them," said brother Scott Deluzio.
In the spirit of his love for the game and the players, the Deluzio family has set up a scholarship in Steven's name. It will be given to a Glastonbury Little Leaguer every year.
Deluzio's parents announced the first recipient during the ceremony. Nick Bremmer will receive $1,000 that will be invested until Nick goes to college. Bremmer, 12, was moved to tears by the family's generosity.
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"I made a new family today, the Deluzio's. They're really great people," Bremmer said.
In one final tribute, the annual game played by the Glastonbury Little League All-Stars has been renamed the Steven J. Deluzio wooden bat game.
