From: The Orange County Register

For fallen lifeguard Ben Carlson’s family, statue unveiling is a larger-than-life moment

Family members of Ben Carlson, friends and fellow Newport Beach lifeguards cheer and embrace as the new Ben Carlson statue is unveiled during a ceremony at in McFadden Square at the Newport Beach Pier on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. Ben Carlson was a veteran Newport Beach lifeguard who died attempting to rescue a swimmer on July 6, 2014. ///ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: benmemorial.0707 Ð 7/6/16 Ð LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER - _DSC9622.NEF - The Ben Carlson Memorial & Scholarship Foundation members, supporters, city officials, lifeguards and community leaders will gather in McFadden Square to unveil the Ben Carlson Statue on Wednesday, July. The nine-foot-tall statue of Ben will be located in McFadden Square, near the Benjamin M. Carlson Lifeguard Headquarters at the Newport Beach Pier in Newport Beach, CA. Ben was a veteran Newport Beach lifeguard who died attempting to rescue a swimmer on July 6, 2014.

A statue honoring lifeguard Ben Carlson, who died in the line of duty on July 6, 2014, is unveiled Wednesday night in McFadden Square at Newport Pier.
Leonard Ortiz, Staff Photorapher

NEWPORT BEACH – Ben Carlson’s parents gazed at a sea of people gathering around a covered statue of their son, and like the 2,000 or so others who showed up, they had yet to lay eyes on the stainless steel memorial.

Teri and Chris Carlson weren’t surprised at the turnout for the statue’s unveiling, which has been in the works for two years, since their son died during a rescue on July 6, 2014, in big surf just a short distance from where his statue now stands.

The statue stands 9 feet tall, weighs nearly a ton and shows a man standing and looking into the distance.

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