CHESNEE, S.C. (WSPA) – Lance Cpl. Jackson Forringer, a 20-year-old Upstate marine, was honored at a ceremony in Chesnee on Saturday.

“Jackson was an amazing young man,” said Brenda L. Parks, director of Miracle Hill Ministries Foster Care.

According to the Marine Corps, on April 20, while serving in the infantry with the 2nd Marine regiment, Forringer was involved in a training accident and made the ultimate sacrifice.

He graduated from Chesnee High School in 2021 and was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He recently was set to be deployed overseas and was in California for pre-deployment training.

Forringer’s loved ones are now remembering him, and recalling memories like declaring his goal of becoming a marine in the third grade. He grew up in foster care and was adopted by his family in 2015, just before his 18th birthday.

Brenda Parks said she was alongside him in his early years. She watched him grow up and says he embodied what it means to be strong.

“He proved that life is worth living because he overcame so much,” said Parks.

Former teammates, classmates, and fellow marines gathered together to pay their respects to Forringer. Kind, genuine, and loving…all words used on Saturday to describe him and who he was. 

“He accomplished much in his short life,” said Parks. “Though he had a challenging beginning, we know that he has had a most rewarding now, ending.”