BERESFORD, S.D. (KELO) — The Beresford High School gymnasium was full Monday as the community gathered for the dedication of the S.D. 46 bridge to 1st Lt. Josef L. Thorne.
Thorne was a Beresford and SDSU alum who was killed in Vietnam in 1965 at the age of 24.
The ceremony included remarks from SDDVA Secretary Greg Whitlock, Marilyn Aronson and others, including family of Thorne.
Another speaker at the event honoring Thorne, who was shot down while flying a helicopter during the conflict in Vietnam, was First Gentleman Bryon Noem, who spoke on behalf of his wife, Governor Kristi Noem, who did not appear at the event despite being slotted to speak on the program.
Noem’s reason for missing the event is unknown at the time of writing, though she had appeared at a Veterans Day event in Sioux Falls hours earlier.
Those who spoke at the event highlighted Throne’s athletic accomplishments, including playing football at SDSU and being drafted by the Green Bay Packers, though he chose to enlist instead of playing football.
Thorne, as stated by each of the speakers, was the first South Dakotan to be killed during the war in Vietnam, and is the 21st person named on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The bridge which will carry his name lies eight miles west of Beresford where it spans the Vermillion River.
In addition to being honored by the state and the nation, Thorne is also a member of the Beresford Watchdog Hall of Fame.
