A plaque for Marine Lance Cpl. Philip Clark now sits at the foot of the Buccholz High School flag pole.

It's not the first memorial for Clark at his alma mater, the road leading to the school was named after him in June.

Clark joined the marines after graduating from Buchholz in 2008, but on May 18, Clark lost his life while on foot patrol in Marjah Afghanistan. He was 19 years old.

"He was defending our country and our freedoms and our rights and our liberties, and everybody that comes to school here will know that now" said Mike Clark, Philip's father.