Section 2. Dominec M. "Patsy" Padula Memorial Bridge.
(a) Findings and declarations.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Technician 4th Grade Dominec Michele Padula served with Headquarters Company 629th Tank Destroyer Battalion, United States Army, in the European Theater during World War II.
(2) He was inducted into service on December 10, 1941, and served until honorably discharged on October 27, 1945. His foreign service was from January 9, 1944, until October 13, 1945.
(3) Dominec Padula received five Bronze Stars during the following World War II campaigns:
(i) Normandy, Omaha Beach.
(ii) Northern France.
(iii) Rhineland.
(iv) Ardennes, Battle of the Bulge.
(v) Central Europe.
(4) Additionally, he earned the following medals:
(i) Good Conduct Medal.
(ii) American Theater Service Medal.
(iii) European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal.
(5) Dominec Padula was born in the Reightown section of Bellwood on February 23, 1919, of immigrant parents from Aquaviva D'Isernia, Italy. He married Evelyn Snyder and was the father of Michael Richard Padula and David Allen Padula, grandfather to Bethany Louise (nee) Padula Mallino and Benjamin David Padula and great-grandfather to Margaret Kathryn Mallino and Abigail Louise Mallino. He passed away May 5, 2008, in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
(6) He worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad at several locations, including the Juniata Shops, Altoona's Freight and Caboose shops and the Samuel Rea Shops in Hollidaysburg. He was employed from March 31, 1941, with a gap in employment for World War II, until he retired on May 27, 1980, with over 39 years of employment.
(b) Designation.--The bridge located on that portion of State Route 865, over the railroad tracks and Main Street in Bellwood, Blair County, is designated the Dominec M. "Patsy" Padula Memorial Bridge.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs to indicate the designation under subsection (b).