Cambria bridge renamed to honor local fallen soldier
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ASHVILLE -- It was an emotional ceremony Monday as the Ashville VFW saluted a fallen Army veteran.
A bridge on Route 1008 over Chest Creek in East Carroll Township, Cambria Country, was named after Pfc. Kenneth John Ivory, a Chest Springs native who was killed in the Vietnam War.
While it has been over 55 years since his passing, local veterans and lawmakers hope his story of courage and bravery will live on.
"We've come together to show our respect to the Ivory family and to show our fallen brother that he will never be forgotten," said Dave Seymore, VFW District 26 commander.
Ivory was 19 years old when he was killed in action on Oct. 18, 1966, in the Thua Thien Province during the Vietnam War.
A 1965 graduate of Bishop Carroll High School, the Chest Springs native enlisted in the Army in March 1966 and was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division.
The dedication was spearheaded by Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Cambria, who is also chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
Through Act 51, Pennsylvania dedicated 422 state bridges to be legislatively named. The Kenneth John Ivory Memorial Bridge will be the 33rd distinguished bridge in Cambria County.
"It's so important that we remember those who made the selfless sacrifice for our freedom," Langerholc said. "It's easy in our day and age that people tend to forget. We need to continue to advocate on behalf of these types of events so the younger generations know who these people are and what they did for our freedom."
Organizers said the bridge over Chest Creek was deemed the perfect place to honor Ivory's legacy.
Ivory grew up on a small farm just down the road from the bridge, and it was there that friends said he developed a sense of pride, accomplishment and work ethic.
He spent much of his childhood fishing over the bridge and swimming in the waters beneath, and it was in that same spot that he taught his wife, Helen Bardick, to ice skate.
"In that short window of time, he touched the hearts of all," an emotional Bardick said of her late husband. "This is a day to reflect, remember and share all of those special moments that we had with each other."
Robert Eyer picked potatoes on the Ivory family farm in his teenage years and eventually formed a close bond with Kenneth Ivory.
After enjoying a vibrant childhood that included attending dances with Bardick at the Ashville Fire Station, Eyer and Ivory graduated high school and attended basic training together at Fort Benning, Ga.
The two were assigned to different regiments of the 1st Cavalry upon basic training, and while they made arrangements to meet again, those plans never came to fruition.
Ivory and other members of his company were preparing a field landing zone to facilitate additional helicopter traffic during Operation Thayer on Oct. 17, 1966.
An Army helicopter preparing to take off experienced a mechanical malfunction, causing it to violently spin and crash.
Ivory was killed when he was struck by the uncontrolled aircraft's rotor blade.
"We promised that the next reunion might be in Vietnam or back in the regular world," Eyer said. "We'd hoped to get together on leave or when the war ended, but sadly, that reunion never happened."
Eyer said years after his service in the military, he finally discovered the courage to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and witness the site where Ivory's name is forever engraved on the wall along with other fallen Vietnam War veterans.
With Ivory's legacy now to be forever enshrined on the bridge in East Carroll Township, Eyer hopes his story continues to live on and serves as a constant reminder of the sacrifices U.S. soldiers make everyday.
"This ceremony and the naming of the bridge in Ken's memory really brings everything full cycle for over 50 years," Eyer said. "It's our way to remember and thank a good soldier who did his duty and served his country. ... Patriotism is alive and well in our country."
Mirror Staff Writer Calem Illig is at 814-946-7535.