Funeral Set For National Guardsman Killed In Ellicott City Flood
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Funeral arrangements have been set for the National Guardsman and Air Force veteran who was swept away by the floodwaters in Ellicott City while trying to save a woman.
A public visitation for Eddison "Eddie" Hermond will be held on Thursday at 10 a.m. at The Church at Severn Run, located at 8187 Telegraph Rd. in Severn, Maryland. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Hermond will be buried at Maryland Veterans Cemetery, located at 1122 Sunrise Beach Rd. in Crownsville. Services will include military honors.
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Hermond — a 39-year-old father of a teenager — died a hero Sunday night after springing into action and fighting the raging Tiber River to save a stranger and her cat from violent flash floods.
"When you get someone like Sgt. Hermond, you can see where they forget all about safety for themselves," said National Guard Major General Linda Singh. "To be able to save someone else...and I'm extremely proud of what he's done for this country."
First responders discovered his body more than a mile away, in the Patapsco River Tuesday afternoon.
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WJZ spoke with Hermond's aunt, Nina Cooper, who says they spent the day together on Saturday. She added that he was on the verge of retiring from the National Guard.
"We were glad that we got a chance to spend just a moment with him before all this tragedy took place," she said.
Cooper said the loss is unbearable, but the support from the community hasn't gone unnoticed.
"To see him and now he's gone, it is a shock, it is a shock. But wow, the love and support from the community, it's amazing," she said.
A scholarship fund has been set up in Hermond's honor.
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