Marion County delegates support bridge renaming to honor area veterans
FAIRMONT — Two of Marion County's delegates sponsored a resolution to have a pair of bridges renamed after three United State Army Veterans on Friday.
The three Army veterans are brothers. The two bridges are located in Wetzel County. The first, known locally as the Stewart Street Bridge, lies over the West Virginia Fork of Fish Creek. The second is the Church Fork Bridge, which carries U.S. 250 over Church Fork Creek. Lead Sponsor Del. Charles Sheedy, R-Marshall County, wants to name the Stewart Street Bridge, in Hundred, after Vernon and Vincent Tustin, and the Church Fork Bridge, in Wetzel County, after Terry Tustin.
'Big family,' Del. Mike DeVault, R-Marion County, said. 'All five of them served in WWII together. The two youngest ones served in the military and the Korean conflict. Just the fact none of them died in combat, they all survived.'
DeVault and Del. Phil Mallow. R-Marion County, joined Sheedy as sponsors on the bill. Neither Mallow or Sheedy returned a message by press time.
The West Virginia Department of Highways only names bridges after individuals once they are deceased. According to Terry Tustin's obituary, he died at the age of 73 in 2017. Vincent Tustin died in 2023 at 86 and Vernon Tustin died in 2005 at the age of 68. All three men resided in Hundred. Terry and Vincent were both boilermakers. Terry Tustin served in the Army from 1965 to 1967. Vernon Tustin served in Korea. Vincent Tustin's obituary doesn't mention where he served in the Army.
'He was a jack of all trades,' the obituary said about Terry Tustin. 'He loved to help other people fix and repair things. He loved his old cars and blue grass and country and western music. He also loved hunting, fishing, and spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.'
DeVault said the idea to honor the Tustin brothers by naming bridges after them came from Sheedy, who is a military veteran. His father was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.
DeVault said he wanted to sponsor the bill because there's a lot of families that put their members on the line. The idea his family could be ripped away by war troubles DeVault.
A similar fear made the basis of the 1998 Steven Spielberg film saving 'Private Ryan,' which itself was based on the loss of two of the Niland brothers in WWII. The U.S. Army itself instituted the sole survivor policy, after all five Sullivan brothers perished after their ship was sunk in an attack. DeVault said Fairmont had its own group of brothers who served in WWII, the Monell brothers. He said seven of them served in the war in different theaters. One of them, Frankie, later operated a bar supper club in East Side.
Bridges make good memorials, DeVault said.
'It's everlasting,' he said. 'Anybody that drives the road or sees the bridge or road name, from what I understand in perpetuity, gives a living legacy even though they're gone. It's kind of a cool thing, I think. I look at those bridge names and often wonder, what's the story?'
House Speaker Roger Hanshaw referred the resolutions to committee for further discussion.
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