Bridges to honor fallen soldiers

Story by Millie Thomas

Remember that age-old question, “Is freedom really free?”
It seems as though it has been answered.

Friday’s commemoration ceremony, held at the Augusta County Government Center, honoring two fallen Augusta County soldiers proved that freedom, indeed, is not free. In fact, now it is coming at a younger price. Lance Cpl. Daniel Scott Resner Bubb and Lance Cpl. Jason Redifer, both only 19, were killed in 2005 while fighting in Iraq.

“This is not a happy occasion but certainly an apropriate one,” said Weyers Cave Del. Steve Landes as he opened the ceremony.

The ceremony honored both young men with a bridge, one being in Weyers Cave and the other in Fishersville, in their name.

The Va. 256 bridge over Interstate 81 at Weyers Cave was officially renamed the Lance Corporal Daniel Scott Resner Bubb Memorial Bridge, and the Va. 608 bridge rolling over Interstate 64 in Fishersville was named the Lance Corporal Jason Redifer Memorial Bridge.

Both families were presented Friday with framed copies of the legislation by Landes and Staunton Del. Chris Sacsman and the Augusta County Board of Supervisors, along with scaled-down versions of the sign that sit on each each boy’s respected bridge by VDOT official Kenny Robinson.

“Daniel would have said, ‘Can you believe they named a bridge after me?’ ” said Bubb’s grandmother, Peggy Bubb, in response to receiving the legislation along with Bubb’s mother, Janey Harrah, and other family members.

The ceremony concluded with emotional remarks from each mother.

“When you lose someone, your greatest fear is that they will be forgotten. This bridge is an amazing gift for all of us. It is a permanent reminder of Jason,” said Rhonda Winfield, Redifer’s mother.

As for Bubb’s mother, she concluded by saying that she will gladly pay the $2.75 per gallon of gas to drive across the bridge along with several tearful thank you’s.

According to Landes, these bills were more important because, other bills in legislation solve problems, however these honored young men that sacraficed their lives to keep us free.

Mille Thomas is an Augusta Free Press staff intern.