CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — Where West Pennsboro Township meets Newville, now sits the Sgt. First Class Randall Shughart Memorial Bridge.
“It is a lasting reminder to each and every person that travels across this bridge of a man who put the safety and freedoms of others above himself," said State Rep. Barb Gleim (R-Cumberland).
A dedication ceremony was held at American Legion Post 421 in Newville on Thursday.
A Newville native and Big Spring graduate, Sgt. Shughart’s family says he was “calm and quiet.”
“If a lightning bolt hit the ground beside him, he would say ‘That was close,'" said Michael Steven Shughart, Randy's brother. "I mean that’s all, a very laidback person.”
But what he did was anything but.
Shughart played a crucial role as a sniper in Task Force Ranger during the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia.
On October 3, 1993, he heroically sacrificed his life while providing cover fire to protect the crew of a downed helicopter.
“If I went down there with my airplane and crew on the other side, it most likely would have been Randy and his team who would have come after us," said retired Brigadier General Wilbur Wolf III, who graduated high school with Shughart and served in the Army with him for several years.
Sgt. Shughart was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
“He loved his country, he loved his country enough that he was willing to say ‘Send me’ in the worst of circumstances," said U.S. Rep Scott Perry (R – Cumberland, Dauphin, York).
On Thursday, Shughart’s hometown came together to express their gratitude by dedicating the spot where he once played as a kid to him.
“All service members should be recognized, should be recognized all the time," said Shughart's brother. "But it’s a great honor. Our parents are gone now, but would appreciate it also.”
It's an honor added to the many others Shughart has received over the years.
But in true Shughart fashion, his family members also want to share their gratitude for the other men and women who have made the same sacrifice.
“After all these years, I don’t know, it’s probably time to look for someone new," said Shughart's brother. "There’s gotta be someone else that deserves the appreciation [too].”
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