He was born a leader, and he died with honor.
Canarsie residents came together on Oct. 12 to honor one of their neighborhood’s bravest sons by co-naming a local street after the late U.S. Army Sergeant Roshain Brooks, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
Brooks was a paratrooper assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, and he was killed in the line of duty last August while serving in Iraq.
Borough President Adams and Councilman Alan Maisel (D–Canarsie) unveiled the street sign honoring Brooks on the corner of E. 85th Street and Avenue L, where he used to live and was often seen training for his military service, according to his cousin.
“When he got his training, he started running around that street,” said Tosha Chambers, who came up from Florida to speak at the ceremony.
Chambers, who is 13 years her cousin’s senior, used to help Brooks after school during middle school and said that although he was quiet and humble, his courage made him a true hero who will live on in the memory of his friends, family, and the neighborhood.
“He had guts, grit, fortitude, and bravery — he was a hero, and he still is. Now he’s immortalized thanks to the city of Brooklyn,” she said.
Children from PS 115’s Musical Theater Club enchanted the audience at the ceremony with their renditions of “Kindness” and “Still in My Heart.”
Two of Brooks’s comrades-in-arms were at the ceremony and spoke highly of the man they knew in uniform.
“His comrades that served with him, they spoke from the heart, that was very nice that they were in attendance,” Chambers said.
Brooks’s parents watched the ceremony with tearful pride, and said that their son will be remembered as a leader who was quiet but kind, according to his father.
“He was a good guy, a quiet and loving guy,” said Euvince Brooks. “He was born to be a leader.”
