PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs will be hosting a State Bridge Dedication Ceremony to honor U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Charles T. Langenfeld.

The ceremony will be Saturday, July 1, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. (CT) at the Redlin Art Center in Watertown (1200 33^rd Street NE #310).

The Willow Creek Bridge on East US HWY 212, near Watertown, will be dedicated to HM2 Langenfeld.

Known to family and friends as Charlie or Chuck, Langenfeld was known to those serving with him in Vietnam as “Doc”. On April 17, 1968, after a 77-day siege, described as some of the worst fighting in the Vietnam conflict, a standdown was called. Having spent 77 days without a bath, Langenfeld and his troops left Hill 861a to bathe in a stream nearby. On their way back to their base camp, eight hours before Langenfeld was to leave for home, he was killed by enemy aerial mortar rounds.

Naming bridges in honor of our combat veterans who died while serving their country is an initiative of Governor Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Departments of Military, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.

“Whenever and wherever this nation has called, in times of darkness and danger, as well as in times of peace and prosperity, veterans have been there and have proudly carried the torch of liberty for all to see,” said Greg Whitlock, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Our fallen heroes are no longer with us, but their memories live on in the hearts of their loved ones and our state,” said Whitlock. “Naming our South Dakota bridges in honor of our fallen gives us the opportunity for remembrance, reflection, and respect — for honoring the men and women who gave their lives in service to this nation. They cherished liberty and loved freedom enough to lay down their lives to preserve our way of life.”

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