Did you know?: Civilian Bridge dedicated to Navy SEABEES?

Brattleboro Reformer

Bridge dedicated to Navy Seabees
By CAROLYN LORIÉ
Reformer Staff

Monday, June 14, 2004 - CHESTERFIELD, N.H. -- With the sun shining and the river shimmering, Navy Seabees from four states stood tall and proud as the bridge connecting Brattleboro, Vt., and Chesterfield was dedicated in their honor.

"As we drive across the bridge, let's keep in mind the sacrifices and contributions of the Navy Seabees," said New Hampshire Senate President Thomas Eaton, R-Keene, who attended Sunday afternoon's dedication ceremony. Standing with his colleagues on an amphibious assault boat along Route 9, Gov. Craig Benson declared June 13, 2004, Navy Seabee Day in the Granite State. "It's a fitting tribute to the Seabees who have built so many bridges and roads," he said.

The Seabees were formed shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked and have served ever since as mobile construction units. According to the Seabees Web site, 325,000 men served during World War II, building airstrips, bridges, roads, warehouses, hospitals and housing on six continents.

The Seabees also played a central role in the Korean War, as more than 10,000 men were deployed.

One of those men was Robert DiStasio of New Hampshire, who attended the ceremony with his wife, Janet. "I'm just proud to be a Seabee," he said. "This was stirring to me."

DiStasio joined his fellow Seabees as they marched across the old bridge, behind the Keene American Legion Band. To the solemn sounds of "Taps," a wreath was carried down the new bridge and dropped into the Connecticut River. The ceremony was attended by at least 150 people.

A sign reading the "United States Navy Seabees" was unveiled, much to the delight of Laura Bedard.

The wife of veteran Seabee Roland Bedard, who attended Sunday's dedication, Laura has worked for the last year to get the bridge named in honor of the military unit.

She wrote to the Department of Transportation and contacted Rep. David Buhlman, R-Hillsborough, who went on to become one of the sponsors of the bill calling for the renaming of the bridge.

According to Laura Bedard, a contingent of veteran Seabees made two trips to the state house.

"The Senate was overwhelmed," she said. "A lot of credit goes to all of these people." Also instrumental in the effort was veteran Norman Hill, secretary of the Seabee Seacoast Island X1.

For some, the ceremony was a chance to meet up with fellow veterans. "I saw my squad leader Bob Martin. I hadn't seen him in 36 years," said Byron Zakos of Hudson.

Zakos served as a Seabee in Vietnam in 1967-68.

"It was nice to see something dedicated to the Seabees," he added. According to many veterans at the event, Sunday's dedication was a first. "This is a very big thing," said Richard Parker of Davisville, R.I. "This is the first interstate structure ever named for the Seabees." For many, the fact that it was a bridge named in their honor was exactly the right thing to do.

"What more fitting expression of our gratitude could there be than naming an important piece of infrastructure after a group of individuals who in many instances gave their lives to the cause of building bridges -- both literally and metaphorically," said Eaton.

Commander George Treantafel, of Seacoast Island X1, who served in Cuba, Panama, and Spain, said that the dedication was an important moment for him and other Seabee veterans.

"Today means a lot. Believe me," he said. "This is the first. Hopefully, it won't be the last."

OPERATION SEABEES KNOWLEDGE seabeesinfohq.org E-Mail seabees@seabeesinfohq.org