The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs will be hosting a State Bridge Dedication Ceremony to honor U.S. Army Technician Fifth Class Harald Haraldsen Wednesday (July 10, 2024) at 2:00 p.m. (MT) at the Lions Civic Center in Buffalo (210 State Route 20).
The US 85 Bridge over South Fork Grand River, just south of Buffalo, will be dedicated to T/5 Haraldsen.
Haraldsen was assigned to 743rd Tank Battalion. This Tank Battalion was part of the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944. It supported the 116th Infantry Combat Support Team and the 28th Infantry Division on Omaha Beach. Haraldsen’s unit fought through France to the Siegfried Line near Aachen, Germany. He was wounded and died on October 7, 1944.
“Our fallen heroes are no longer with us, but their memories live on in the hearts of their loved ones and our state,” 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 enough to lay down their lives to preserve our way of life.”
“We can never underestimate or 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 can only live through the accomplishments to present and future generations.”
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.
