Health & Fitness
Join us Saturday to Honor LCpl. Julian T. Brennan (1983 – 2009)
This Saturday, join us to co-name a block of Prospect Park West "Julian Brennan Way," in the memory of a Park Slope resident and Marine, who reflected much of what is best about our community.
Marine Lance Corporal Julian T. Brennan lived in South Park Slope, in a family that reflects much of what is best about our community. He loved his country and he expressed a deep empathy for the Afghan people. Julian was 25 years old when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan’s Farah Province on January 24, 2009.
This Saturday, October 29, we have the honor of remembering him by co-naming the block of Prospect Park West, between 14th and 15th streets, "Julian Brennan Way," in his memory.
Street co-naming ceremony of Julian Brennan Way
Saturday, October 29th, at 1 p.m.
Bartel Prichard Square (15th Street and Prospect Park West).
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Julian was a remarkable person, a gifted actor, and an avid cyclist who felt a call to service at the funeral for his grandfather, a Marine who fought in World War II.
"The only way I think I can describe myself is as a guy who will go out of his way to make someone laugh, write a great song, find a reason to dance, and watch the sun rise every chance he gets," Brennan wrote. You can read a beautiful piece from the New York Times about him here.
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One of the most remarkable things about Julian–and about the Brennan family–is how they combine the deepest ideals of service from both older and newer parts of our neighborhood.
Julian followed his Irish Catholic grandfather, James, into the Marines. He felt that after September 11 he had a duty to fight for the ideals and the security of our country. He also followed his mother Thya and father Bill, a musician and actor who performs kids’ music (he appears on one Park Slope Parents CD), and who played a song of healing at Julian’s memorial service.
Too often in our neighborhood, it seems as if these very different ideals might exist in neighboring houses on a block in Park Slope or Windsor Terrace or Carroll Gardens, but that they are still two different cultures. Sometimes even worlds apart.
Julian’s family's example reminds us that these values can thrive not just in the same neighborhood, but under the same roof and even in the same heart. They are, after all, different ways of serving something bigger than ourselves.
I hope you can join us on Saturday to honor that spirit, and Julian’s memory.
