On Memorial Day, a Saint Louis Park police officer is remembered nearly two decades after he was killed fighting in Iraq.

In 2005, Staff Sergeant David Day was killed when an improvised explosive device went off while he was helping injured soldiers in his command.

A memorial for Day is in the lobby of the Saint Louis Park police station, and a bench in a nearby park is named in his honor.

“It was a great loss for a lot of people,” Sgt. Mark Kampa with the St. Louis Park Police Department said. “I mean, it was sad, for his family, for his friends, for his coworkers. It hurts because the caliber of people that work in this profession; it’s hard to lose one.”

Day was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.