Law Signed To Name Bristol Post Office In Honor Of Sgt. P. Andrew

BRISTOL-WARREN, RI - From Bristol Post Office: U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01) announced today that his bill to rename the U.S. Post Office at 515 Hope Street in Bristol, Rhode Island, in honor of Sergeant P. Andrew McKenna Jr. was signed into law by the President. Sergeant McKenna was killed in action in Afghanistan in August 2015 while defending Camp Integrity from a Taliban attack. The bill was co-sponsored by every member of the Rhode Island Congressional delegation.

“Sergeant McKenna represented all that is great about Rhode Island and our country,” said Cicilline, who thanked Sergeant McKenna for his service one month before his death when he was honored at the 2015 Bristol Fourth of July Parade. “He was a patriot. He loved our country deeply and devoted his life to its service. The strong character and values that he learned growing up in Rhode Island guided him until the very end. I am grateful that we are honoring his life with this permanent memorial.”

An Army Green Beret, Sgt. McKenna joined the military one month after graduating Mount Hope High School in 1998. Over 17 years of active service, he completed five tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq and was decorated with numerous awards, including the Bronze Star with V device and the Meritorious Service Medal. McKenna graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in strategic studies from Norwich University in 2015. He was planning to pursue a master’s degree once his deployment ended in October 2015.

Sergeant McKenna was buried with full military honors at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bristol. During his funeral procession, hundreds of Rhode Islanders lined roadways to honor Sgt. McKenna’s life and service to the United States. His parents, Peter and Carol, joined Cicilline in Washington as his guests for President Obama’s final State of the Union Address in 2016.

Additional details will be released soon for a ceremony to be held for the renaming of the Bristol Post Office.

Photo courtesy of Bristol Post Office