Westminster Bridge Dedicated in Honor of Soldier

Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray joined state and local officials as well as family and friends today in Westminster to unveil the marker naming a Route 2 bridge the "Ryan Patrick Jones Bridge," in honor of 1st Lieutenant Ryan Patrick Jones of Westminster who was killed in action in Iraq on May 2, 2007.

The bridge, located on the Mohawk Trail in Westminster, is named in remembrance of Lieutenant Ryan Patrick Jones, who grew up in Westminster. In his role as Platoon leader in the Army, Lieutenant Jones demonstrated true leadership abilities and set an example for all of the lives he touched. Governor Patrick attended the funeral of Lieutenant Jones in May 2007 to honor his bravery and sacrifice for the Commonwealth.

On July 23, Lieutenant Governor Murray signed "An Act Designating a Certain Bridge in the Town of Westminster as the Ryan Patrick Jones Bridge," on behalf of Governor Patrick who was visiting Massachusetts servicemen and women in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation assembled and erected the permanent marker bearing Lieutenant Jones' name on the bridge honoring his life and service to his country.

Lieutenant Jones graduated from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School and with honors from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester in 2005. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering at WPI, Ryan was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on May 2, 2005 and received the Army Medal of Achievement that year. Jones was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq on Feb. 4, 2007 where he served as a Platoon Leader.