Bloomingdale baseball team honors fallen ex-Marine

The meeting was not supposed to be emotional. Preceding a dedication ceremony Saturday for memorial honoring Bloomingdale native Jean-Claude “J.C.” Francis Nolan, a former Marine who died in a 2008 car accident while working as a federal agent, Frank Saverino Jr. met with Nolan’s family, including his sister Kaitlin.

It was then that Saverino broke down after he shared that he had also experienced the death of a brother, Dominic, last fall.

“Not many people feel that,” he said. “I feel like we have a special bond.”

That bond grew Saturday after Saverino oversaw the hourlong dedication, which drew hundreds of community members and area officials to Springfield Park. Also on hand were J.C.’s family as well as young baseball players from several teams, including Saverino’s Bloomingdale Bulldogs.

The players on the under-10 traveling team played an instrumental role in the dedication. They raised $2,800 that paid for the granite memorial’s flagpole, and they spent the last several weekends digging out the area to make way for it.

“Giving back is part of their gig,” Saverino said. “What they have learned the most is the respect I have tried to instill in them.”

The reverent ceremony was also attended by veterans and fire and police officials from throughout the area. A local Marine color guard hoisted an American flag that had flown at the White House. A 21-gun salute and the playing of taps were also part of the ceremony. A second flag, hoisted after the first was presented to the Nolan family, will fly at half-staff for 30 days in remembrance of J.C.

Additionally, the Bulldogs presented the family with a team picture signed by each player.

J.C. Nolan was born in Woodbridge, Va., and enlisted in the Marines as a Bloomingdale resident after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He served multiple tours of duty around the world and, when not deployed, was a federal agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Kansas City.

On Dec. 1, 2008, Nolan was in the car accident that took his life. He was 29.

His father, Kevin Nolan, said his family was taken aback when they saw what the players did for his son.

“As we get older, you think our children are our legacy,” he said. “This is what this is all about. They are our future, and this thing just brought us to our knees.”

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, a Saverino family friend who was pivotal in securing the White House flag, said seeing the 8- to 10-year-old players work together for the ceremony was impressive.

“It’s poignant and it’s beautiful,” he said. “They are learning to appreciate the freedom that has been bought for them. They will remember this for a long tine. These are life lessons that are powerful.”

J.C. Nolan’s father told the crowd that the show of support floored the family.

“We feel more a part of this community now than we ever have,” he said. “We are humbled and speechless. Thank you so much.”