Cpl. Larry Lee York (Credit: County of Bucks)
Bucks County on Tuesday formally dedicated County Bridge #252, which spans the Unami Creek along Milford Square Pike, in memory of U.S. Army Cpl. Larry Lee York, a native son who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War.
York, 20, was killed in action on June 1, 1968, during Operation Burlington Trail. A mortar attack struck his unit in a night patrol, killing him and two others and wounding 23.
York, who had been drafted in 1967 and deployed to Vietnam in November of that year, attended Quakertown Community High School and was active in Trumbauersville United Church of Christ. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and trapping. He is survived by his mother, two brothers, two sisters and a fiancée. Members of his family, including grandchildren, were present for Tuesday’s dedication.
Cpl. Larry Lee York (Credit: County of Bucks)
(Credit: County of Bucks)
The bridge is the eighteenth county-owned bridge since 2022 to receive such an honor as part of the County’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge Program. That initiative, run in partnership with Ed Preston and the Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (PAVVMF), aims to remember the 136 Bucks County residents who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. The memorial program has become a meaningful way for the county to ensure local soldiers are permanently memorialized
Operation Burlington Trail, the campaign during which Cpl. York lost his life, was one of several U.S. Army operations from April through November 1968 in Quảng Nam Province. It involved the 198th Infantry Brigade, among others, and was tasked with securing critical routes and reopening access between Tam Kỳ and Tiên Phước. According to records, U.S. forces suffered 129 killed and nearly a thousand wounded over the course of the operation.
County Commissioner Chair Bob Harvie reflected on the significance of the dedication ceremony.
“It is our young men and women we send off to war,” Harvie said. “We should as a nation be very, very careful when we do that. We have to make sure that any sacrifice we ask of them is truly worth the sacrifice they’re willing to give — because they will make that sacrifice if we ask them.”
York’s legacy, along with those of the other 135 Bucks County veterans, continues through this program and the many bridges that stand as silent reminders of service, loss, and community remembrance.
For more on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge Program and the individuals being honored, visit BucksCounty.gov/MemorialBridges
