Posted: | September 17, 2014 03:09 PM |
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From: | Senator Lisa M. Boscola |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Designating the Easton-Phillipsburg Rt. 22 Bridge as the Sergeant William John Cahir Memorial Bridge |
In the very near future, I will be introducing a bill designating the U.S. Rt. 22 bridge over the Delaware River between Easton, Pennsylvania and Phillipsburg, New Jersey, as the “Sergeant William John Cahir Memorial Bridge” in recognition of Sergeant Cahir, who died in service to our country on August 13, 2009, serving during Operation Enduring Freedom. This bill would be a companion to legislation recently enacted by the New Jersey Assembly on June 26, 2014. In order to name the bridge, legislation is required by both states under the terms of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Compact. Sergeant Cahir dedicated his life to public service in so many ways. He worked as a news reporter for the Express-Times which covers the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania as well as Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. He was working in the newspaper’s Washington, D.C., bureau before his most recent deployment. He also served as an aide to United States Senator Edward Kennedy and United States Senator Harris Wofford. He did two tours of duty in Iraq before returning to Pennsylvania where he was a candidate in a three-way Democratic primary to replace longtime Republican Rep. John Peterson, who retired. Sergeant Cahir joined the Marines at the age of 34 out of his deep desire to serve his country after the September 11th attacks. The Easton-Phillipsburg Rt. 22 bridge spans the Delaware River, and serves to connect the people and places of Pennsylvania with those of New Jersey. This is what Bill Cahir did as a reporter. As a Marine, he continued to provide insight from boot camp, Iraq and Afghanistan. In doing so, he connected those places to the people of Pennsylvania and New Jersey that are served by the Express-Times. Sergeant William John Cahir gained a reputation as being a fair and hardworking journalist. He was an outstanding individual who served both his community and country admirably, and is deserving of this recognition. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation. |