Family, friends and neighbors held a fundraiser Friday for a Long Island soldier injured while in Afghanistan.

The fundraiser for Pvt. Alex Murtha was at Shamrock's Bar and Grill in Merrick. The 22-year-old was seriously wounded earlier this month in a suicide bombing that killed two soldiers from Murtha's unit and 10 Afghan schoolchildren.

Members of the community is gearing up to send care packages to Murtha, who is recovering in a Georgia hospital. They say they stand beside him and are rooting for his recovery.