Governor Janet Mills signed into law the first bill of her Administration to honor a Maine veteran Thursday. Governor Mills was joined at the signing ceremony for LD 200 “Resolve, To Name the Bridge on Main Street in the Town of Orono the Brandon M. Silk Memorial Bridge” by members of the Silk family among other guests.
“While we can never repay Brandon’s sacrifice and service to our country and our state, enshrining his name on this bridge is a tribute to his life, his family, and his service to our country. It ensures that all those who enter his beloved home of Orono will know his name and his sacrifice for years to come,” said Governor Mills. “I hope that as the people of Orono and Brandon’s family drive across it, they will know our deep appreciation and everlasting gratitude for their son, and fellow Mainer’s, service.”
LD 200 “Resolve, To Name the Bridge on Main Street in the Town of Orono the Brandon M. Silk Memorial Bridge” was sponsored by Representative Ryan Tipping of Orono who brought forward the legislation with the help of Representative Donna Doore of Augusta. Representative Doore worked with Brandon. LD 200 requires the Department of Transportation to rename the Ferry Hill Bridge in the Town of Orono the Brandon M. Silk Memorial Bridge in honor of Orono native Army Sergeant Brandon Silk.
Sergeant Silk died in June 2010 in the line of duty while serving in Afghanistan. A 2003 graduate of Orono High School, Sergeant Silk enlisted in the U.S. Army following graduation where he served as a Black Hawk crew chief and a member of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was on his fourth tour of duty, having served in Korea, Iraq, and a previous tour in Afghanistan.