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11-30-2004

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 6 months ago

November 30, 2004

ROMNEY DEDICATES I-495 OVERPASSES TO WARTIME HEROES

Officials and family members honor Milford native Sgt. Elia P. Fontecchio

 

MILFORD – In a tribute to a fallen U.S. Marine from Milford, Governor Mitt Romney today dedicated the I-495/Route 109 overpass as the “Gunnery Sergeant Elia P. Fontecchio Memorial Overpass.”

 

“Today, on behalf of the entire Commonwealth, we remember Elia Fontecchio and offer a special thanks to every veteran from the Greater Milford area,” said Romney. “In protecting the promise of individual freedom, they have created a better world for generations to come. Their sacrifices will never be forgotten.”

 

Fontecchio, a 1992 Milford High School graduate, was killed on August 4, 2004 while fighting enemy forces in the Al Anbar province of Iraq near the Syrian border. The 30-year-old soldier left behind his wife, Kinney, and their 3-year-old son, Elia Jr. He also is survived by his parents, Cindy and Dennis Fontecchio, and three sisters.

 

Prior to his tour in Iraq, Fontecchio had been stationed at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1993 and had been stationed in Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Tanzania.

 

In September, the Legislature passed a bill, filed by Representative Marie Parente, to designate the overpass in Fontecchio’s name. Parente also filled a bill to name the I-495 bridge over Route 85 as the “Greater Milford Veterans Memorial Overpass.”

 

“Milford knows how to honor its fallen sons and this event is an opportunity for residents to express their appreciation of Sergeant Fontecchio and other area veterans,” said Representative Parente. “He knew what to expect in Iraq, and he went back for a second tour in support of his fellow Marines, in spite of the risks. He may have thought of himself as a humble Marine doing a job, but we consider him a hero.”

 

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