PRINTER'S NO. 2271
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1577
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY DUSH, BENNINGHOFF, CAUSER, COHEN, D. COSTA, COX,
DAVIS, DiGIROLAMO, DRISCOLL, ELLIS, FARINA, GOODMAN, GROVE,
HAHN, A. HARRIS, HEFFLEY, HENNESSEY, IRVIN, KIM, LONGIETTI,
MAJOR, McNEILL, MILLARD, MURT, NEILSON, O'NEILL, OBERLANDER,
PICKETT, SAINATO, SANKEY, SAYLOR, SCHWEYER, THOMAS, VEREB,
WARD AND WHEELAND, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
AN ACT
Designating a bridge on that portion of State Route 580, over
the west branch of the Susquehanna River, Cherry Tree
Borough, Indiana County, as the Airman Second Class Gerald
Emmett Johnson Memorial Bridge.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Airman Second Class Gerald Emmett Johnson Memorial
Bridge.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
follows:
(1) Gerald Emmett Johnson, commonly known as "Jerry,"
was born March 17, 1933, in Youngstown, Ohio, and lived in
Arcadia, Pennsylvania.
(2) Gerald Emmett Johnson enlisted with the U.S. Air
Force as an Airman Second Class and served as crew member of
a B-29A Superfortress Bomber with the 371st Bomber Squadron,
307th Bomber Wing during the Korean War.
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(3) On October 23, 1951, Airman Second Class Johnson's
aircraft was shot down by enemy MiGs over Namsi Airfield, a
North Korean airfield during the Namsi Airfield raid.
(4) Airman Second Class Johnson was taken prisoner of
war on October 23, 1951, his remains were not recovered and
he was declared dead on January 28, 1954.
(5) Airman Second Class Johnson's name is inscribed on
the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
(6) Among Airman Second Class Johnson's many honors are
the following:
(i) Prisoner of War Medal.
(ii) Purple Heart.
(iii) Air Medal.
(iv) National Defense Service Medal.
(v) Korean Service Medal.
(vi) Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.
(vii) United Nations Service Medal.
(viii) Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
(7) Airman Second Class Johnson's family remains in the
Arcadia, Hillsdale and Cherry Tree area in Indiana County as
well as Clearfield, Cambria, Westmoreland and Jefferson
Counties of Pennsylvania.
(b) Designation.--The bridge on that portion of State Route
580, over the west branch of the Susquehanna River, Cherry Tree
Borough, Indiana County, is hereby designated as the Airman
Second Class Gerald Emmett Johnson 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.
Section 2. Effective date.
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This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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