Fauquier veterans honor World War I hero in bridge renaming ceremony
Monday, Jun. 8 | By Mark Grandstaff (fauquier.com)
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Motorists
who drive the U.S. 29 Bypass bridge on Meetze Road will now see the name of one
of Fauquier's honored World War I veterans.
On Sunday, the Fauquier Veterans Bridge Council unveiled the bridge's new name:
the PFC Clay Rankin Memorial Bridge. Private First Class Clay Preston Rankin
earned a Silver Star Medal for displaying remarkable courage and devotion in
the front line through heavy machine gun fire and the Italian War Cross for
gallantry in action while carrying important messages under enemy fire during
World War I.
A crowd of Rankin's descendants, including Korean War veteran James Rankin,
came to watch the ceremony, which briefly closed Meetze Road on Sunday.
The Fauquier Veterans Bridge Council led the effort to rename the bridge in
Clay's honor. The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors approved their request
in November of 2014, and the Commonwealth Transportation Board gave their
blessing to the name change in February.
Earlier in 2014, the Bridge Council put forward a request to name the Opal
Bypass bridge for Medal of Honor recipient Hospital Steward William Shacklette,
U.S. Navy. The supervisors and Commonwealth Transporation Board approved that
request.
