Punxsutawney Spirit

Bridge, monument dedicated for veterans

By Larry McGuire Of The Spirit

BROOKVILLE — The Brookville Laurel Festival continued Thursday with Hometown Heroes Day.

The highlights included the renaming of the former South White Street Bridge for an area veteran, and the dedication of a new monument for the Korean and Vietnam wars at the Jefferson County Courthouse.

The bridge was renamed in honor of Captain Raymond “Bud” Hetrick at a ceremony at the EUM Church on South White Street.

The featured speaker was Hetrick’s brother, Lee, who said it was 55 years ago that Hetrick was flying a U.S. Air Force A1E Sky-raider in a search and rescue mission.

“The mission was to provide cover for a downed F-4 Phantom pilot in northeast Laos,” Hetrick said. The aircraft took heavy fire, the plane exploded and Raymond Hetrick perished on contact with the earth.

“Bud’s final comment was ‘I’m going in,’” Hetrick said. “He and thousands of others should be remembered on days like this; we have a lot to be thankful for, and their sacrifice will be remembered.”

He said the plane was shot down in Laos, with which the U.S. at the time had no diplomatic ties, so Captain Hetrick’s remains were not immediately

recovered. A joint effort began in 1996, 30 years later. Hetrick said not much evidence was recovered.

“In 2000-2001, other joint efforts were begun with a full excavation about the size of half of a football field,” Hetrick said.

They unearthed some personal evidence, half a key, dog tag chain, wristwatch and fragments later determined to be part of a skull.

“Those remains were flown into the United States mortuary in Hawaii,” he said. “In March of 2004, the United States Air Force notified my brother Bob that they would like a follicle of hair to make a DNA comparison. They made the comparison of the skull fragment and Bob’s hair and it was a DNA match.”

In September 2004, Bud was laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery. Hetrick said two full buses of people attended.

One of the other speakers was state Sen. Cris Dush, a Brookville resident, who said that Senate Bill No. 470 will officially rename the bridge.

Dush said his son, Ryan, has followed in his footsteps as a special operator serving in a foreign land.

“He’s a pararescue, and I’ve been in countries where a military action was taking place,” Dush said. “Let me tell you, it’s much tougher being a family member of somebody who’s deployed than it is being the guy serving in the far away country.”

Dush said he knew others during his service who died in action. “I had an airman that I served with that was killed in action,” Dush said, in addition to a cousin who died in 1968.

“But to have somebody who is missing in action is difficult,” he said. “My prayers go out to all of the families; it’s a unique type of suffering that you guys had to go through. God bless you.”

Randy Bartley, emcee for the ceremony, said the bridge could not officially be renamed Thursday, but a sign saying “in memory of Captain Raymond ‘Bud’ Hetrick” will be up until the official dedication from PennDOT takes place.

The service was hosted by American Legion Post No. 102, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 204, the Brookville Laurel Festival and Brookville Borough.

Earlier in the day, a new granite monument for Jefferson County residents killed in action in the Korean and Vietnam Wars was dedicated on the Jefferson County Courthouse lawn.

The new monument lists 18 names for the Korean War and 13 for the Vietnam War.

The new stone was placed next to the left of the existing marker.

The center stone was dedicated in 2019 to commemorate the county’s war dead and missing in World War II.

A third marker will be erected next year to honor those who lost their lives during the Cold War and the Persian Gulf War.

“We cannot thank the people who gave all their tomorrows for us enough,” said American Legion Post Commander Bill Littlefield.

Littlefield said the project would not have been possible without the support of the Jefferson County commissioners and Korb Monuments of DuBois.

“The commissioners have been on board with this project from the beginning,” said Littlefield. “This series of monuments is a fitting addition to the Veterans Park at the courthouse.”

Herb McConnell, a Vietnam veteran, was the featured speaker at the noontime dedication ceremony.

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2021-06-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

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