In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation to designate the Route 219 Bridge over Route 30 in Jenner Township, Somerset County, as the Corporal Robert L. Haines Memorial Bridge.

Corporal Robert L. Haines was born on February 12, 1946, in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Forbes High School in Kantner, Pennsylvania, in 1964. Shortly thereafter, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division.

On July 2, 1967, during Operation Buffalo near the Demilitarized Zone, Corporal Haines was serving with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines near Quang Tri in the Republic of Vietnam when his unit came under intense enemy fire. As he moved forward in an effort to link his squad with another platoon, the unit became pinned down amid the heavy fighting. During the engagement, Corporal Haines was struck by fragmentation from an artillery round, sustaining fatal wounds to the chest. The battle proved so fierce that it took five battalions and three days to secure the area. The cost of the fighting that day was severe, with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines suffering 84 Marines killed in action, 166 wounded, and one reported missing.

Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation to honor the service, bravery, and sacrifice of Corporal Robert L. Haines and to ensure his legacy is permanently recognized in Somerset County.