With memorial services for Army Staff Sgt. Edmond L. Lo set for this weekend, Bob Castricone wants to make sure that his sacrifice is never forgotten.

Castricone, treasurer for the Salem Veterans Association, is working with members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars to have a bronze plaque bearing Lo’s name and service placed at the intersection of Geremonty Drive and Main Street. Castricone hopes to have the plaque in place by Veterans Day, Nov. 11, in time to let local veterans honor him with a small ceremony.

“We’re going to dedicate Veterans Day this year in his memory,” Castricone said. “Once we get that plaque we’ll put on a little ceremony there. We’ll have a little prayer, a firing squad and play taps.”

Lo, 23, died in Iraq on June 13 after a roadside bomb he was disarming detonated. A 2004 graduate of Salem High School, Lo will join Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Moscillo and Cpl. Nicholas Arvanitis of the Army’s 82 Airborne Division as the third serviceman in the community immortalized by a plaque after dying in Iraq.

His will be the 28th plaque placed in town, memorializing the community’s war dead, according to Castricone. Castricone said the location for the bronze memorial was chosen due to its proximity to the Lo family home.

“What we tried to do is put the plaque as close to their home as possible,” Castricone said. “They were (in the past) just putting the names in town where they were visible. We put Nick Arvanitis’ plaque on Old Rockingham Road where he was living. The one we’re putting up now, it’s going to be put up on Geremonty Drive ... and that’s close to (Lo’s) home.”

The actual installation of the plaque and the maintenance of the location is handled by the Salem Department of Public Works. David Wholley, DPW operations manager, said the spot selected for Lo was also intended to keep the sacrifices of the current war in the public eye.

Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Puzzo, an aerospace science instructor at the Salem High School who knew Lo from his days in the Air Force Junior ROTC program, said the efforts to memorialize the staff sergeant were indicative of the community’s strong support for veterans and military families.

Puzzo, who is serving as a liaison between the family and the school district, said both he and the Lo family had been inundated with phone calls offering support since the news of Lo’s death was released.

“I know almost everyone in his graduation class have already been in touch with the family ... A lot of cadets have been by the school,” Puzzo said. “I’ve seen a lot support coming my way and to the family as well. There is very strong support in the community.”

Calling hours for Lo will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 26, at the Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home, 214 Main St., Salem. The funeral service is at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, at the Mary Queen of Peace Church in Salem, followed by burial in the Pine Grove Cemetery.