Warwick Township recently marked a historic moment with its first-ever Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge dedication, also the first such ceremony held in Bucks County in 2026, honoring the life and sacrifice of the U.S. Army Sgt. George W. Hamilton Jr.
On April 21, county officials, veterans, family members, and community residents gathered along Creek Road near Mearns Road, where Bucks County Bridge #138 now bears Sgt. Hamilton’s name. The 21-year-old soldier, a Bucks County resident, was killed in action on July 11, 1968, just three days after celebrating his first wedding anniversary.
The dedication was the twentieth since the county launched its Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge Program in partnership with local veterans’ advocate Ed Preston, who also chairs the Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The program seeks to honor the 136 Bucks County residents who lost their lives in the Vietnam War by naming county-owned bridges in their memory.
“Today is April 21, the first dedication for 2026,” Preston said. “Today we are going to continue with the partnership we started with the county three years ago. This is our 20th dedication.”
As he reflected on the program’s impact, Preston spoke about the emotional journeys of the families involved, particularly the “Gold Star families” who lost loved ones in service.
“I was driving here today and I wandered over some bridges we already dedicated, thinking about the families that we’ve found and talked to and met and still have contact with and how it’s changed things for them and for me for sure,” he said. “The Gold Star family doesn’t always know what to expect. There is no rule book.”
Preston shared his experience meeting Hamilton’s widow, DorisAnn Wachsmuth, who, like many family members, had long carried the quiet fear that her husband’s sacrifice might be forgotten.
“When I met DorisAnn, she wasn’t sure what would take place today,” Preston said. “In her mind, I think the thing that we all fear is that George was forgotten. Our job as a community is to make sure we do not forget George Hamilton Jr. or his family.”
Robin Taber, a member of Warwick Township’s Board of Supervisors, emphasized the significance of the moment for the township.
“This is Warwick Township’s first bridge dedication as part of this program, so it’s even more special,” Taber said. “It’s such a meaningful initiative, a great idea to dedicate bridges as lasting memorials to ensure that the names and sacrifices of our Vietnam veterans are permanently woven into the fabric of the communities that they called home.”
She noted that the bridge now stands as more than infrastructure.
“Bridges that once simply carried us from one side to the other now carry forward the memory of those who gave their lives,” Taber said. “Today this bridge stands not only as infrastructure, but as a permanent reminder that the freedoms we enjoy were made possible by individuals like Sergeant Hamilton.”
Bucks County Commissioner Diane Marseglio reflected on the broader historical context of Hamilton’s service, noting the challenges faced by Vietnam-era soldiers.
“Young men like Sgt. Hamilton answered the call in an extremely divisive and difficult time in our country,” she said. “We need to say that we see you and we honor you and we remember you.”
Marseglio expressed hope that the bridge would serve as a connection across generations.
“Just as the bridge will connect the past to today and to the future, it is my hope that this dedication will serve as a conduit to connect that history,” she said.
A key part of the program, Preston explained, is learning about each soldier as a person, not just as a service member.
“We do a lot of research to find out who these guys were not as soldiers, but as people,” he said. “Who was George Hamilton? He was a soldier, yes, but he also had a wife, (and was) a son, a brother. He had family and friends, he played ball and worked on cars. Those are the parts of the person that we like to figure out.”
That sense of humanity was powerfully underscored by U.S. Army veteran Peter Chong, who spoke about Hamilton’s military honors and the legacy of Vietnam veterans.
“Ed and I talked about the Bronze Star Medal with valor that Sgt. Hamilton received for his actions on that day in Vietnam,” Chong said. “Vietnam veterans, when they came home, they did not get the ‘thank you for your service’ that we hear today. But you paved the way for the post-9/11 generation to receive that recognition.”
In a deeply symbolic gesture, Chong presented the Hamilton family with a Bronze Star he had received during his own service in Afghanistan.
“A Bronze Star is a pretty high award in the military world,” Preston added. “George was given a Bronze Star with a ‘V’ device for valor for his bravery in Vietnam.”
The ceremony’s most emotional moments came as DorisAnn Wachsmuth spoke about her late husband, offering a portrait of the young man behind the uniform.
“There are words to describe George; he was courageous, he was brave, he was a hero, he was kind, trustworthy, genuine,” she said. “He brought light, love, and laughter into every life he touched.”
She shared the story of how they met, thanks to a mutual friend who nudged them together.
“We met on a Thursday night; she (our mutual friend) told him I wanted to go out with him and told me he wanted to go out with me,” Wachsmuth recalled with a smile. “We met again that Saturday night and were never apart willingly after that.”
The couple was married just over a year before Hamilton’s death. Wachsmuth last saw him during a reunion in Hawaii shortly before he returned to duty.
“I waved goodbye at the airport,” she said softly.
Over time, she came to discover even more about her husband through letters and writings he left behind.
“George loved to write,” she said. “One of my favorites is ‘Christmas Eve Thoughts About a Wife.’ The last line is, ‘That’s why there is springtime every time a baby girl is born.’”
Though her loss was profound, Wachsmuth spoke of resilience and the life she built in the years that followed.
“Life went on. Life is good,” she said. “I’ve had many, many blessings, and it really started with George. He brought light into my life that I didn’t even know I needed.”
Matt Allen, director of Bucks County Veterans Affairs, highlighted the broader impact of the Vietnam War and the importance of remembrance.
“We are here because Sgt. George Hamilton passed away in action,” Allen said. “There are more than 58,000 Americans who died in Vietnam, and we lost thousands more to suicide and the effects of Agent Orange.”
He noted the bridge’s location. along a well-traveled local road, ensures Hamilton’s name will be seen daily.
“Now everyone who comes down this street will see his name and read his name as they pass this bridge,” Allen said.
A representative from Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s office presented the family with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in Hamilton’s honor, along with a formal citation recognizing his service.
Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie reflected on the origins of the memorial bridge program and the importance of continuing it.
“There were over 136 young men from Bucks County who lost their lives in Vietnam,” Harvie said. “Most have not had dedications, and that was the catalyst to get this program started.”
He urged attendees to consider the youth of those who served.
“Think about what you were doing when you were 21 years old,” he said. “To be 21 and commanding men in combat halfway around the world; it’s extraordinary. We send our young men and women when they are so young, and many don’t come home.”
Harvie emphasized that remembrance does not depend on the size of the audience.
“Even if we had nobody here, it would still be worth doing so that we remember Sgt. Hamilton and the sacrifice he paid,” he said.
As the ceremony concluded, Preston returned to the central message of the program: collective responsibility.
“The Gold Star family is our responsibility, everyone’s responsibility,” he said. “They have allowed us access to their memory, and it is our duty to make sure that memory is carried forward to future generations.”
He encouraged attendees to remain mindful of the memorials they encounter in everyday life.
“When you pass those bridges, pause for a moment and think about who that person was,” Preston said. “I know every time I drive over one of these bridges, I smile with a flood of memories. I hope you can do the same.”
