New Hope Bridge Reopens; Span Dedicated To Fallen Bucks County Marine

NEW HOPE, PA — Bucks County Bridge No. 36 on Stockton Avenue in New Hope reopened on Nov. 2, rededicated to the memory of Staff Sgt. Karol Raymond Bauer.

The 28-year-old Marine was killed April 30, 1967, while leading a platoon at Khe Sanh in Vietnam’s Quang Tri Province during the Vietnam War.

Born in New York City and raised in Philadelphia, Bauer lived in Wrightstown, Bucks County, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 11 years. He left behind a wife and 18-month-old daughter.

From left, Bucks County Veterans Affairs Director Matt Allen; Mack Wagner, military/veterans advocate from the office of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick; New Hope Mayor Laurence Keller; veteran's advocate Ed Preston; Commissioner Vice Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia; Walter Bauer, brother of the late Staff Sgt. Karol R. Bauer; Commissioner Chair Bob Harvie. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia with Walter Bauer, brother of the late Staff Sgt. Karol R. Bauer. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

Mayor Larry Keller cuts the ribbon, reopening the Stockton Avenue bridge in memory of Staff Sgt. Karol R. Bauer who died in action during the Vietnam War. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

“Staff Sgt. Bauer spent more than a third of his short life in loyal service to his country, and we are proud that this dedication will ensure his memory lives on,” said Commissioner Chair Bob Harvie. “And while we continue to mourn those taken before their time, we stand proud of the brave sacrifices made by Staff Sgt. Bauer and his fellow servicemen and women.”

The county-owned bridge bearing Bauer’s name crosses Aquetong Creek near the heart of New Hope, connecting W. Ferry and W. Mechanic streets. It is the sixth bridge dedicated to the memory of a fallen Vietnam soldier as part of a project administered in partnership with local veterans’ advocate Ed Preston and the Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

The project remembers the 136 Bucks County residents killed or missing in action during the Vietnam War.

Bauer is buried in Thompson Memorial Cemetery in Solebury Township, just two miles from the bridge named in his honor.

New Hope Mayor Larry Keller and Bucks County Veterans Affairs Director Matt Allen unveil the sign dedicating the bridge in memory of SSgt. Karol Bauer, USMC.

Members of the U.S. Marine Corps League participate in the ceremony. (photo by Jeff Werner)