SD Bridge to be Dedicated in Honor of U.S. Army Private First Class Gunnar D. Becker

By Mitchell Now August 7, 2024 11:46 am

FORESTBURG, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs will be hosting a State Bridge Dedication Ceremony to honor U.S. Army Private First-Class Gunnar D. Becker.

The ceremony will be Sunday, August 18, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. (CT) at the Sanborn County 4-H Building in Forestburg (23237 405th Avenue).

The SD34 westbound bridge over the James River, just southeast of Forestburg, will be dedicated as the PFC Gunnar D. Becker Bridge.

Gunnar was the first casualty of his unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the only one lost from Sanborn County since the Vietnam Conflict. He died January 13, 2005, in Mosul when a .50-caliber machine gun round was accidently discharged,…