For information, contact: Audry Ricketts at 605-773-8242 or audry.ricketts@state.sd.us (South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs)
PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs will be hosting a State Fallen Hero Bridge Dedication Ceremony to honor U.S. Navy Seaman Second Class Wayne A. Bridge.
The ceremony will be Friday, November 11, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. (CT) at the High School in Wagner (101 Walnut Avenue SW).
The Choteau Creek River Bridge on HWY 46, east of Wagner, will be dedicated to this war hero.
Bridge served during WW II on the USS Indianapolis. With over 1,200 men on board, the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945, while steaming between Guam and Leyte. The vessel, along with 880 members of her crew perished in the Pacific Ocean. Bridge was among those reported killed in action.
Naming bridges in honor of our combat veterans who died while serving their country is an initiative of Governor Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Departments of Military, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.
“Whenever and wherever this nation has called, in times of darkness and danger, as well as in times of peace and prosperity, veterans have been there and have proudly carried the torch of liberty for all to see,” said Greg Whitlock, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Our fallen heroes are no longer with us, but their memories live on in the hearts of their loved ones and our state,” said Whitlock. “Naming our South Dakota bridges in honor of our fallen gives us an opportunity of remembrance, reflection, and respect—for honoring the men and women who gave their lives in service to this nation. They cherished liberty and loved freedom enough to lay down their lives to preserve our way of life.”