Upper Bucks bridge named for Marine killed in Vietnam War

The County of Bucks on Thursday dedicated County-owned Bridge #226 in memory of LCpl. Victor Monroe DeWalt, an Upper Bucks Marine killed by friendly fire during the Vietnam War.

LCpl. Victor Monroe DeWalt was part of a patrol on Nov. 6, 1970, in Vietnam’s Quang Nam Province that was mistaken by another patrol group for enemy activity. The latter patrol ordered an artillery strike on DeWalt’s group’s position.

DeWalt, who was one of 11 casualties from the incident, was gravely injured and succumbed to his wounds on Nov. 10, 1970. The 21-year-old Marine was one of three men who died as a result of the mishap.

    Bucks County Bridge #226 on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, was renamed in honor of LCpl. Victor Monroe DeWalt. Members of the late Marine's family who attended Thursday's dedication ceremony are pictured above with veteran advocates and County officials. (Credit: Bucks County)
  

At the time of his death, DeWalt had been in Vietnam for six months, and had served 29 months in the U.S. Marine Corps. Prior to joining the Marines, DeWalt attended Palisades High School.

"It is our youngest generation that we send off to protect us, to serve us and to keep us free," said Commissioner Vice Chair Bob Harvie. "We think about the family [DeWalt] left behind, but we also think about the family he never had a chance to have. That’s the sacrifice we honor.

The bridge named for DeWalt crosses Cooks Creek along Stouts Valley Road in Durham Township. It is the twelfth County-owned bridge since 2022 to be named for a local soldier lost in the Vietnam War.

The dedications are part of the County’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge Program, which honors the 136 Bucks County residents lost in the Vietnam War. The County administers the program in partnership with Bucks County-based veterans’ advocate Ed Preston, who chairs the Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (PAVVMF).

    Bucks County Veterans Affairs Director Matt Allen speaks Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, during a dedication ceremony in which Bucks County Bridge #226 was renamed in honor of LCpl. Victor Monroe DeWalt. (Credit: Bucks County)