For information, contact: Audry Ricketts at 605-773-8242 or [email protected] (South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs)
PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs will be hosting a State Bridge Dedication Ceremony next month to honor U.S. Marine Corporal John Hutchison.
The ceremony will be Friday, July 1, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. (CT) at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center Museum in Fort Pierre (210 Verendrye Drive).
The White River Bridge on SD HWY 183, south of Presho, will be dedicated to Cpl Hutchison.
Hutchison, an aerial gunner of a CH-46 helicopter, was participating in a troop extraction mission in South Vietnam, Quang Tri province. As the helicopter approached the landing zone, bombardment of the area by enemy artillery commenced. Hutchison’s aircraft was hit by a very large caliber artillery shell and crashed to the ground and died on August 19, 1968.
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.”
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