Private First Class Allan George Griffin, a Vietnam War casualty with roots in Doylestown and New Hope, was remembered when Bucks County Bridge 161 was named in his honor on September 21st.
In a continuation of their ongoing collaboration to honor local servicemen who were among the 136 killed in action or missing in the Vietnam War, the Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (PAVVMF) and the County of Bucks conducted a dedication ceremony at the bridge, located on Upper Mountain Road, near Durham Road in Buckingham Township.
The son of a World War II veteran, Griffin was born in Newton, NJ and lived in the Pennsylvania communities of Honesdale, Pottstown, Doylestown, and New Hope, before being drafted in 1966. He had served less than two months in Vietnam before being accidentally killed by friendly fire on February 22nd, 1967.
Griffin was awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” device for heroism and by all accounts was encouraging to his fellow soldiers and showed courage in battle to provide aid to wounded comrades. He is buried alongside his brothers and parents in Wayne County, PA.
PAVVMF is working with Bucks County on the dedication of bridges in honor of Bucks County servicemen and women who died in the Vietnam War.
PAVVMF previously created and in 2021 dedicated the Lower Bucks County Vietnam Veterans Memorial (LBCVVM) to Lower Bucks victims of the Vietnam War; many of its members also were instrumental in bringing the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall to Bucks County in 2017.
For more information visit lbcvvm.org.
PHOTO CAPS:
- Allan George Griffin
- At the bridge dedication ceremony, from left, Gene D. DiGirolamo (Bucks County Commissioner); Maggie Rash (Vice Chairman, Buckingham Board of Supervisors); Ed Preston (Chair of Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund); Bob Harvie (Bucks County Commissioner); Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia (Bucks County Commissioner); and Jon Forest (Buckingham Board of Supervisors member).