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Amherst County (Va.) bridge named for fallen Vietnam War veteran

Updated Nov 27, 2017

 

The newly dedicated Roger Lee Floyd Memorial Bridge. Photo: Google MapsThe newly dedicated Roger Lee Floyd Memorial Bridge. Photo: Google Maps

An Amherst County (Va.) bridge was dedicated in the memory of a local fallen military veteran, Pfc. Roger Lee Floyd, on the 52nd anniversary of his death in the Vietnam War, according to a report by The News & Advance.

On November 12, 2017, community members, local veterans and members of the Amherst County Board of Supervisors paid tribute to Floyd during a ceremony at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and the Commonwealth Transportation Board named the bridge connecting Buffalo Springs Turnpike and Wagon Trail Road the Roger Lee Floyd Memorial Bridge.

Amherst County Supervisor Jimmy Ayers thanked everyone for attending the dedication Sunday. “Most of us here today never had the privilege of knowing Roger,” he said, according to the news agency. “He is one of our heroes. It is not even imaginable for me to think of what these soldiers were feeling during such conflict. They were in the midst of foreign land, and other than fellow soldiers, no one spoke the language they could understand.”

Ayers said Floyd demonstrated heroism in ground combat and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, as well as a Certificate of Honorable Service.

“Roger and many others laid down their lives for us, and thousands of our military today stand in harms way so we can enjoy the freedoms that are offered to us today” Ayers said, according to the news agency. “Because of the sacrifice he and thousands of others made, we are able to live life the way we do and enjoy these blessings.”

Ayers asked the community to remember Floyd and other young men and women who have given their lives in sacrifice for the country as they drive across the bridge from now on. The Amherst County chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution donated a wreath to be laid on the bridge in Floyd’s honor.

 Otto Davis, 2nd Vice Commander of the American Legion Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 196, said he is honored and proud that Floyd is finally being recognized in his home county for his military service.

“I’m gonna tell you, we’re standing here to remember an American hero,” Davis said, according to the news agency. “All these other sports people, to me, they’re not heroes. The young men and women who put the uniforms on for this county and serve this county are our true heroes. They are the ones who defend the freedoms that God gave us.”