HAYDEN — A green army uniform was on display at the front of the room, accompanied by a portrait of a young man with bright eyes and a wide smile.

Members of the 455th Engineer Company out of Hayden and the 659th Engineer Company from Spokane gathered Saturday at the U.S. Armed Forces Reserve Center in Hayden to dedicate the building in memory of their fallen comrade, Cpl. Kelly Grothe. He was killed in action in Iraq on May 3, 2007 when he went to assist a vehicle that had been hit by an improvised explosive device. A secondary IED went off and killed him.

“The way he was taken, he put himself in danger for other soldiers, and that’s who he was,” said Sgt. Eric Stroh, who trained with Grothe in California and was deployed with him to Iraq.

Stroh said Grothe was a comedian, always cracking jokes, singing songs and dancing to help lighten the mood for his fellow troops.

“For me, [the memorialization] shows the unit what we did over there,” he said. “He’s very deserving of it.”

During the ceremony, Col. Derek Ulehla spoke to the greatness of Grothe and how he exemplified what it means to uphold the values of a soldier.

“We are here to honor a great American,” Ulehla said to the crowd of at least 150 people. “[Cpl. Grothe] was one hell of a soldier. May his story and sacrifice be inspiration for future generation of great Americans.”

Grothe’s parents and sister were in the audience as well. They hadn’t seen the memorialization plaque before it was revealed and said it was impressive.

“Oh it was just, I can’t put it into words,” said Shelly Clelland, Grothe’s sister, after the ceremony. “Driving up and seeing the sign was amazing.”

The Hayden reserve center is now named the Corporal Kelly B. Grothe Reserve Center.