PHOTOS: County dedicates Falls Twp. Bridge to fallen Vietnam War Marines

Private First Class Edward Nelson Beers, a native of the Fairless Hills section of Falls Township who died in action in the Vietnam War, was honored last week with the dedication of a bridge in his hometown.

About 100 participants, including Beers’ family and friends, gathered last Tuesday at Bucks County Bridge No. 220 along Mill Creek Road near Falls Township Community Park to remember the young Marine.

The bridge, which crosses Martins Creek, will be the tenth in the county to be named after local soldiers who died in the Vietnam War, as of 2022.

Beers, 20, was fatally injured by an explosive device while on patrol in the Vietnamese province of Quang Tri on May 23, 1968. The young warrior suffered shrapnel injuries to his head, neck and shoulders. He was evacuated to the USS Sanctuary, a Navy hospital ship, where he later died.

Beers graduated from Pennsbury High School in 1965 and was an athlete, running track and playing basketball before joining the Marine Corps in 1967.

At the time of his death, his return from duty was scheduled for just 109 days.

A poignant moment during the ceremony was when a family member read the last letter Beers sent home to his sister a few weeks before his death.

“I will never forget the night I left you. I doubt we will experience another night like that. I am not going back to Vietnam. Once is enough,” he wrote.

Ed Preston, chairman of the Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (PAVVMF) and leader of the bridge naming initiative, spoke of the Beers family’s ongoing commitment and efforts to keep the young Marine’s memory alive.

“I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: It’s taken us a very, very long time to say thank you and a very long time to try to make it right,” said Diane Ellis-Marseglia, chair of the Bucks County Commissioners. “I hope Eddie feels this bridge, and I hope his family feels that this bridge brings us a little closer to making amends for the sacrifice that you all made.”

“Let’s keep his memory alive. He was a hero and we are here because of his sacrifice,” said Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo.

The bridge dedication is part of the county’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge Program, which is designed to honor the 136 Bucks County residents who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. The program is a partnership with local veterans organizations.

For more information about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge Program and the people it is dedicated to, visit BucksCounty.gov/MemorialBridges.

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