Sergeant First Class Eric Michael Emond was born on September 23, 1979, in Riverside, California. He was a 21-year military veteran. His journey started in the United States Marine Corps as a Scout Sniper. While in the Marine Corps, Eric completed Army Ranger School and deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq. Eric was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps after seven years and joined the elite United States Army Special Forces Green Berets. 

In 2009, Eric was severely wounded by a rocket propelled grenade during an ambush while on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan. Eric suffered brain and spinal injuries but continued to engage the enemy over a 5-hour period, saving the lives of several teammates. The wounds sustained during the battle warranted a medical discharge from the army, but Eric rehabilitated himself and fought to stay in the Army. Her returned to active duty and continued to deploy in support of the war on terrorism. Eric was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Ft Bragg, NC.

SFC Eric Emond was killed on November 27, 2018, when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle while serving in combat operations in Afghanistan on his seventh deployment. He was laid to rest in Arlington Nation Cemetery. He was 39 years old.