Bucks County last week dedicated a bridge in Warwick Township in memory of U.S. Army Sgt. George W. Hamilton Jr., who was killed in action during the Vietnam War.
The dedication is 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.
Hamilton, 21, of Philadelphia, died July 11, 1968, just three days after his first wedding anniversary.
“Young men like Sgt. George Hamilton answered the call at an extremely divisive and difficult time in our country,” said Commissioner Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia. “This young man carried the duty and obligation to serve to a place that was very far away. So I need him to know that, in gratitude, I need to say that we see you, and we honor you, and we remember you.”
According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Hamilton died in Quang Ngai province.
Hamilton’s widow, DorisAnn Wachsmuth, attended Tuesday’s dedication ceremony with two of her daughters, according to a release from the county.
She described her late husband as “courageous,” “brave,” and “a hero,” adding that he was “kind,” “trustworthy,” and “genuine.”
“He brought light, love and laughter into every life he touched,” she said
The bridge dedicated in Hamilton’s honor crosses a stream along Creek Road near Mearns Road in Warwick.
Wachsmuth often scribes her thoughts on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website, where Hamilton is memorialized on "The Wall of Faces." Recently, after visiting the Wall That Heals in Montgomery County, Wachsmuth blogged how her wedding day was "an incredibly happy day as I became George's wife" and then "such an incredibly gut wrenching day as I became George's widow."
"I eventually remarried a man with such decency that he took me to the Wall in D.C. and left me alone with my thoughts as he sat by watching and waiting. We had three wonderful daughters. He passed eight years ago - was Navy. I now have two flags that sit in their cases side by side."
Last week, Wachsmuth told her soldier about the bridge dedication in his honor.
"You will finally get the recognition that is way overdue. Bridge 138 on Creek Road in Warwick will be dedicated in your honor. It's quaint -- you will love it. Cars will drive by, bicyclists will ride over the bridge, people will walk across the bridge..and they will all stop, read the dedication and say 'Thank you for your service,'" she wrote.
"It's been a wonderful experience making this happen with the help of Ed Preston from Veterans Affairs. What a blessing to be able to smile at memories, cry over loss and, most important, thank God for the time we shared," she wrote.
It is the 20th county-owned bridge since 2022 to be named for a local soldier lost in the Vietnam War, and the first of 2026.
“Every time we have done one of these bridges, I have felt a little bit like we were fixing a wrong – maybe we were straightening a missed opportunity,” Marseglia said. “I’ve felt like we were apologizing that we didn’t do this sooner. I am glad to be back on this mission. We have a lot of gratitude to show in the next few months.”
To learn more about the program and the men it is meant to honor, visit BucksCounty.gov/MemorialBridges.
