CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. -- West Carteret High School is paying tribute to a fallen soldier and alumnus. 

• Sgt. James Slape graduated from West Carteret High School before becoming an explosive ordnance specialist
• He died in Afghanistan as a result of wounds from an explosive device
• The school's NJROTC unveiled a statue of a kneeling soldier in his honor Wednesday

Sgt. James Slape graduated from West Carteret High School before becoming an explosive ordnance specialist with the N.C. Army National Guard's 60th Troop Command, 430th Explosive Ordinance Company, based in Washington, N.C.

He died in Afghanistan as a result of wounds from an explosive device.

“What you see here today is for the family. It’s for them. It’s for mom, dad, and Shawn, his wife," said Col. Vincent Giani, senior naval science instructor at West Carteret High School. "It's just to let them know that we’re not going to forget their son.”

The statue is in the school's courtyard and the newest addition of their Patriot Memorial Garden.