On Wednesday, Governor Steve Beshear ordered flags be lowered to half-staff to honor private first class Dustin Gross. Now, a community is looking to keep the fallen soldier's memory alive by giving back to other soldiers overseas.

"Dustin is a hero in my book," explains retired Colonel Edward Stepanchuk, "all the freedoms that we have today are based off of young men and women like that going out there on the front line." As a way to show their gratitude to Dustin and his family, Montgomery County is coming together to host a fundraiser. "

"I feel that we can do something to help him and his family get through this trying time," explains JROTC organizer Jennifer Moyer, "on Saturday we are hosting 'Operation Dustin Gross', it is a way for us to keep Dustin's memory and message alive. This is not just going to be a one week thing," Moyer explains, "we plan to do this for the whole year. We want to make sure that his family knows we appreciate him and will never forget him."

Collections will be taken on Saturday, May 12th, at:

The American Legion Post
1091 Winchester Road
Mt. Sterling, KY

They are asking for:

Toothpaste, deodorant, foot powder, unscented baby wipes, DVD, phone cards,stationary, hard candies, beef jerky and other unscented daily use items.

For more information you can contact: Jennifer Moyer at 859.585.4274