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Dorchester soldier killed in Afghanistan honored

The bustling intersection at Massachusetts Avenue and Columbia Road, its traffic signs pointing in five directions, marks the heart of the Dorchester neighborhood that Sergeant Alberto D. Montrond once called home.

On Monday, the corner bore one more sign, this one embossed with a star and his name in gold.

The intersection, dedicated by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, is the 1,285th Boston corner marked in remembrance of one of the city's fallen soldiers. The particular intersection itself was referred to as Montrond's "Hero Square" on Monday.

"Here was a Cape Verdean man who came to America, wasn't a citizen, volunteered to serve, and gave us his life," Menino said of Montrond, who immigrated to Boston in 1996. "We must take time to say thank you."

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Montrond's mother, Maria, said the memorial "is the greatest gift for my son who has given so much." Her nephew, also named Alberto, translated her words from Creole, and added, "He can be a part of Boston's history now."

Montrond's sign is the first to have biographical information under the name plate, marking the start of a new city project to tell the stories of Boston service members killed in combat.

At the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Columbia Road in Dorchester on Monday, relatives gathered by the “Hero Square” sign honoring US Army Sergeant Alberto D. Montrond, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2006.Aram Boghosian for The Globe

"Who were these young men and women who never came home?" said Francisco Urena, Boston's commissioner of veterans' services. "We wanted to add a personal touch to these signs, to add a little history for passersby."

Montrond was killed Feb. 13, 2006, during his second tour in Afghanistan, when his vehicle struck a land mine north of Deh Rawod. He was 27 years old.

"I feel very proud for what Alberto stood for, what he did for his country, and for becoming a hero at such a young age," said his cousin, Maria Teresa Montrond, 47, of Dorchester. "Serving in the Army was always his dream. He loved this country."

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Alberto Montrond attended Madison Park High School, where he was a member of the Junior ROTC. He enlisted in the Army in 1998, and was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

More than a dozen relatives joined Menino, Urena, and Councilor Tito Jackson at the Dorchester corner for the sign's unveiling, a prayer, and a rendition of taps.

"It's comforting for my family to see the sign," said Montrond's younger sister, Carmen, 28, from Brockton. "Most of the family lives close, and [Montrond] used to drive by here all the time. It is the perfect place."

Montrond left a widow and two children, who now live in Florida.

The Hero Square tradition dates back to at least 1946, when Mayor James Michael Curley formed a committee to officially commemorate the war dead, according to Urena.

The signs, he added, honor Bostonians who have fought in every American war from World War I.

The "Boston's History of Heroes" project adds new depth to the tradition.

"This project brings technology together with the human story," Urena said. "Instead of walking by a street sign with a mysterious name, now you can learn more."

Montrond's sign detailed his date of birth and death, rank, and his military training.

Urena said each new sign will include an electronic bar code that allows passerby to get access to online content about the soldier via smartphone.

"He would be smiling, I think, if he saw the sign," said Alberto Montrond of his cousin as he gestured toward the black-and-gold placard. Underneath hung a wreath of red roses and two small, fluttering American flags.

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"It is the recognition of a lifetime."


Alyssa A. Botelho can be reached at alyssa.botelho@
globe.com
.