FORT DRUM — It's just a demolition range at Fort Drum, in the middle of the woods. But the range, where soldiers go to blow things up, gained new meaning Thursday morning.

It was dedicated to Cpl. J. Adan "Adam" Garcia, a combat engineer with the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team. Cpl. Garcia was wounded in Baghdad on May 22, 2006, and died on May 27, 2006, at Bethesda, (Md.) Naval Hospital with his father, Joseph E., mother, Cynthia L., and younger sister, Danielle, by his side.

"We tried to be there for him, by his bedside," Mr. Garcia said. "This is a tremendous honor and this is a place I can bring my grandchildren. There is a piece of him here."

Cpl. Garcia was wounded during a security mission, where his unit was escorting an explosive ordnance device team to disable roadside bombs. On the way back to base, the convoy was attacked and the humvee directly in front of Cpl. Garcia's was targeted. Cpl. Garcia, who was in charge of the gun on top of the vehicle, returned fire and was hit.

"He got up to protect them and was hit," said Joe D. Wiegrefe, Cpl. Garcia's squad leader at the time, who was riding in the same vehicle during the attack. "It's important for people to know what he did. He made a decision to defend a fellow soldier."

Cpl. Garcia was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals for his actions.

Other soldiers who served with Cpl. Garcia were at the event and shared stories with his family. They all referred to him as a soldier who had an amazing ability to balance his sense of humor with his discipline and dedication.

They thought it was fitting that the range would be dedicated to him because it would serve as an inspiration during future training. One recalled that his antics were reminiscent of a Looney Tunes cartoon.

"When we were all tired and burned out from being on a mission, he could always put a smile on your face," said Staff Sgt. Roger D. Griggs, who was riding in the vehicle directly in front of Cpl. Garcia that came under fire during the attack. Sgt. Griggs credits Cpl. Garcia with saving the lives of the men in his vehicle.

During the unveiling of the sign, Cpl. Garcia's mother quietly traced the lettering of her son's name. Through tears, she thanked the crowd for coming and for the support they had given her family over the past two years. Afterwards, she was surrounded by the soldiers who served with him and heard one story after another about what her son meant to the others in his unit.

Danielle, Cpl. Garcia's sister, talked about entering ninth grade this fall and attending the same high school as her brother.

"There's a new high school building in town," said Danielle, who lives with her family outside Dallas, Texas. "And I told my friends that I'm definitely going to the same school that my brother graduated from. I want to dance on the same football field that he played the trombone on."