South Dakota honors 3 brothers who died in WWII

Staff reports
| Specially for Aberdeen News

The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs is honoring three of Bristol’s heroes in August. During World War II, three brothers from the Bristol area died in uniform while serving the U.S.

The department hosts a State Bridge Dedication Ceremony in honor of three brothers: U.S. Navy Radio Man Second Class Ordien F. Herr, Naval Air Force Lieutenant LeRoy M. Herr, and U.S. Navy Radio Man Second Class Eugene L. Herr.

The ceremony will take place on August 5 at 1:30 p.m. in the Bristol High School gymnasium.

The US 12 Westbound bridge over the railroad tracks, three miles west of Groton, will be dedicated to RM2, LT and RM2 Herr.

Eugene Herr was first reported missing while serving on the USS Johnston, which was sunk during the Battle of Samar. He survived the sinking, but died two days later, on October 25, 1944, from exhaustion and exposure.

LeRoy Herr’s PV1 Ventura bomber, which had completed more than 38 missions during the war, crashed on September 25, 1945, during a flight over Catalina Island.

On June 8, 1943, a transport aircraft carrying personnel to Sydney, Australia, crashed at Tontouta Airfield, New Caledonia. About three minutes after takeoff, the aircraft was seen to bank low and disappear from view. During the initial climb, one of the engines failed. The pilot attempted to return to the airfield, but the aircraft stalled and crashed. The wreckage of the aircraft was in the water of St. Vincent’s Bay, about 100 yards from shore. A total of 24 men were killed, including Ordien Herr.

The naming of bridges in honor of South Dakota veterans who died while serving their country is an initiative of Governor Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Departments of Military Affairs, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.

“Our fallen heroes are gone, but their memories live on in the hearts of their loved ones and our state,” Greg Whitlock, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, said in a news release. “Naming our South Dakota bridges in honor of our fallen gives us an opportunity to remember, reflect and pay respect. It helps us honor the men and women who gave their lives in the service of this nation. They cherished freedom and loved freedom so much that they were willing to give their lives to preserve our way of life.”

“We can never underestimate or overestimate the cost they bore for us,” Whitlock said. “We must never forget that our fallen sacrificed their futures and their dreams. Their memories can only live on through the achievements of current and future generations.”