Section 50. Staff Sergeant Alvin P. Carey and Private John C. Ewing Medal of Honor Memorial Bridge.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Alvin P. Carey was born August 16, 1916, in Lycippus, Westmoreland County.
(2) Mr. Carey graduated from Ligonier High School in 1935.
(3) Mr. Carey enlisted in the United States Army in January 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
(4) Staff Sergeant Carey landed at Utah Beach in Normandy on June 7, 1944, with the 2nd Infantry Division. Initially wounded in action and awarded the Purple Heart, he returned to the front lines to fight the Germans in Brest, France. While at Brest, Staff Sergeant Carey was mortally wounded after crawling up a fire-riddled hill alone to take on a German pillbox. Due to his brave actions, the Allied soldiers were able to quickly take over the pillbox, leading to the end of Axis control in France.
(5) John C. Ewing was born March 4, 1843, in Donegal Township, Westmoreland County.
(6) Mr. Ewing received no formal education and was self-taught.
(7) Mr. Ewing volunteered for service with the Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry 211th on September 12, 1864.
(8) Private Ewing and his regiment took part in the final assaults on Confederate positions in Petersburg, Virginia. On April 2, 1865, he engaged in hostile hand-to-hand combat, during which he captured the flags at the Battle of Five Forks near Petersburg. The battle was a key turning point, as it caused the fall of Richmond and led to the surrender of the Northern Virginia Army.
(9) For their bravery, both men were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Both men are considered hometown heroes to many in the Westmoreland County community.
(b) Designation.--The bridge, identified as Bridge Key 36247, carrying Pennsylvania Route 711 over Loyalhanna Creek in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County, is designated as the Staff Sergeant Alvin P. Carey and Private John C. Ewing Medal of Honor Memorial Bridge.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to traffic in both directions on the bridge.