https://vetaffairs.sd.gov/publicaffairs/News%20Bulletins/2021/August52021SDDVASDDMNewsUpdate.pdf

The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs will be hosting two more State Bridge Dedication ceremonies to honor Army Combat Veterans Private Richard Bertram and PFC ROBERT CALVIN RAND. The Bertram ceremony will be held Saturday, August 14, 2021, at 2:00 pm (CT) at the Colome American Legion Post (208 Main Street). The South Dakota HWY 183 Bridge, which spans the Keya Paha River, will be dedicated to PVT Bertram of Colome. Bertram was killed in action on Okinawa Island in Japan in 1945 while serving with Company C, 382nd Infantry.

The Rand ceremony will be held Saturday, August 21, 2021, at 2:00 pm (CT) at the Parker (South Dakota) Community Building in Parker (299 N. Main Street).

The South Dakota HWY 42 Bridge north of Monroe over the East Fork of the Vermillion River will be dedicated to PFC Rand. He was born near Monroe and was killed in action October 3, 1951 near Chorwon, Korea. Rand died from a direct mortar shell hit in one of the hardest fought battles of the Korean War while on duty in the region of Heartbreak Ridge. Naming bridges in honor of our combat veterans who died while serving their country is an initiative of Governor Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Departments of Military, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs. “Whenever and wherever this nation has called, in times of darkness and danger, as well as in times of peace and prosperity, veterans have been there and have proudly carried the torch of liberty for all to see,” said Greg Whitlock, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. “Our fallen heroes are no longer with us, but their memory lives on in the hearts of their loved ones and our state,” said Whitlock. “Naming our South Dakota bridges in honor of our fallen will give us an opportunity of remembrance, reflection, and respect—for honoring the men and women who gave their lives in service to this nation. They cherished liberty and loved freedom enough to lay down their lives to preserve our way of life.”

ROBERT C RAND (1928)