PIERRE — The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs will host a State Bridge Dedication Ceremony to honor U.S. Army Private First Class Gunnar D. Becker.
The ceremony will be Aug. 18 …
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PIERRE — The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs will host a State Bridge Dedication Ceremony to honor U.S. Army Private First Class Gunnar D. Becker.
The ceremony will be Aug. 18 at 2 p.m. at the Sanborn County 4-H Building in Forestburg, 23237 405th Ave.
The state Highway 34 westbound bridge over the James River, just southeast of Forestburg, will be dedicated as the PFC Gunnar D. Becker Bridge.
Gunnar was the first casualty of his unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the only one lost from Sanborn County since the Vietnam War. He died Jan. 13, 2005, in Mosul when a .50-caliber machine gun round was accidently discharged, ricocheted, and struck him.
Naming bridges in honor of our combat veterans who died while serving their country is an initiative of Gov. Kristi Noem and the South Dakota departments of military, transportation and veterans affairs.
