PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs hosted a State Bridge
Dedication Ceremony to honor U.S. Army Sergeant Lelund M. Kahler.
The ceremony was held Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at the REC Center in Belle Fourche (1111 National Street).
The US 85 Bridge over the Belle Fourche River was dedicated to SGT Kahler.
On April 8, 1969, Kahler was on a recon mission with his platoon crossing a river in sampans in Dinh Tuong, South Vietnam. Lelund, who was in the middle of the pack and carrying a M60 machine gun, was killed by enemy fire.
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.
“Our fallen heroes are no longer with us, but their memories live on in the hearts of their loved ones and our state,” said Greg Whitlock, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. “Naming our South Dakota bridges in honor of our fallen gives us the opportunity for remembrance, reflection, and respect. It helps us to honor 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.”
“We can never underestimate or over appreciate the costs they bore for us,” said Whitlock.
“We must never forget that our fallen sacrificed their future and their dreams. Their memories can only live through the accomplishments to present and future generations.”
