During the Johnstown Flood of 1936, Potchak said his dad and uncles jumped off the bridge and into the river, more commonly known as Wilmore Creek.

“My dad would’ve been 16 at the time, and he said the water was so high that they had to lay flat under inner tubes so they didn’t hit their heads on the bridge deck as they passed underneath,” Potchak recalled of his father’s story.

“Boys will be boys, but five years later those six boys had to quickly grow into men when America entered World War II,” he added.

Cousins Michael (left) and Dave Potchak unveil a sign naming the bridge carrying Route 160 over the north branch of Little Conemaugh River in Wilmore Borough in honor of their fathers and uncles. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

During the war, Stephen, Chuck and Peter served in the Army. Frank, John and Mike were in the Navy.

In the Potchak kitchen window hung a banner with six blue stars, representing each of the brothers who went off to war. A facsimile of the banner was on display Thursday at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, where the Potchak Brothers Memorial Bridge sign was unveiled.

Thankfully, Potchak said, each of the brothers returned home and the blue stars never turned gold.

With today’s technology, parents are able to contact their children from anywhere in the world within seconds. But in the 1940s, Theodore Frank and Anastasia Makar Potchak’s communication with their sons were, at best, month-old letters, Michael said, noting he can’t imagine his grandmother’s “daily anguish of not knowing where her boys were.”

After the war, Mike, Pete and Chuck worked at U.S. Steel in Johnstown, while Stephen, John and Frank relocated to the Philadelphia area, according to Dave Potchak, Chuck’s eldest son.

Under the direction of teacher Philip Parlock, the Forest Hills Junior-Senior High School choir performs the National Anthem at the Potchak Brothers Memorial Bridge dedication Thursday morning at the Saint Bartholomew Catholic Church hall in Wilmore Borough. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

None of the brothers are alive, but many of their descendants showed up to honor their legacy at the ceremony. The church’s social hall was packed with more than 100 people, including family members, county and state officials, American Legion members and students from the Forest Hills Junior-Senior High School choir, who sang the National Anthem and “America the Beautiful.”

Dave Potchak said he was surprised by the turnout, as many of Stephen, John and Frank’s descendants reside in the Philadelphia area.

“We were very pleased with the turnout,” he said, noting the bridge dedication means a lot to the family.

“My dad and his brothers were all very proud of their service, and this ceremony here today gives us all a chance to show not only that we honor them, but to exemplify how proud we are of them also,” Dave Potchak said.

According to PennDOT District 9 Executive Vince Greenland, the practice of naming a piece of state infrastructure is a rare and honored gesture bestowed upon only a select few.

Across Pennsylvania, there are more than 25,000 state-owned bridges, but only 564 of them are legislatively named, Greenland said.

In the District 9 region, which covers Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon and Somerset counties, there are 2,101 state-owned bridges and only 129 — about 6% — are legislatively named.

In Cambria County, there are 332 state-owned bridges. But only 65 of them are officially dedicated, Greenland said.

“Words alone cannot express our gratitude, but through events like this, we honor their (the Potchak brothers’) legacy and establish a permanent tribute to remind us of the noble service of the men and women of our armed forces,” Greenland said.

State Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria, said the dedication is “truly a testament” to the Potchak family’s life of service and sacrifice.

“It’s so important that we continue in these kinds of traditions because I think it’s lost in today’s generation and through no fault of their own,” Langerholc said.

World War II was a time of uncertainty and sacrifice, Langerholc said.

“If we didn’t win that war, this country (would look) a heck of a lot different,” he said.

“We would not have the country we have here today if those (veterans) were not willing to answer that call, so I will always keep this alive and always dedicate these bridges in these gatherings like today so that we always know the extreme sacrifice and service of so many,” Langerholc said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.