The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs will be hosting a State Bridge Dedication Ceremony to honor U.S. Army Sergeant Dennis D. Lawver.
The ceremony will be Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. (CT) at the American Legion Post in Miller (402 S. Broadway Avenue).
The SD45 bridge over Crow Creek, about 18 miles south of Miller, will be dedicated as the SGT Dennis D. Lawver Bridge.
Dennis was killed May 1, 1968, in hostile ground action in Hau Nghia province of South Vietnam.
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.
“Our fallen heroes are no longer with us, but their memories live on in the hearts of their loved ones,” said Greg Whitlock, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. “Naming our South Dakota bridges in honor of our fallen gives us the opportunity for remembrance, reflection, and respect. It helps us to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to this nation. They cherished liberty and loved freedom so much, they were willing to lay down their lives to preserve our way of life.”
“We can never over appreciate the costs they bore for us,” said Whitlock. “We must never forget that our fallen sacrificed their future and their dreams. Their memories will live on for generations.”
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