Pennsylvania Act 2012-50 — MASTER SERGEANT BENJAMIN F. BITNER MEMORIAL HIGHWAY - DESIGNATION

Act text

AN ACT

Designating State Route 16 from the entrance of Greencastle Borough, Franklin County, to the square or other end of the borough on State Route 16 as the Master Sergeant Benjamin F. Bitner Memorial Highway.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Master Sergeant Benjamin F. Bitner Memorial Highway.

(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

(1) Master Sergeant Benjamin F. Bitner from Greencastle, Pennsylvania, was killed on Saturday, April 23, 2011, while serving with Operation Enduring Freedom in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan.

(2) Master Sergeant Bitner, 37 years of age, was a special forces soldier and served in the United States Army for 18 years.

(3) Master Sergeant Bitner died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit, the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with an improvised explosive, according to the United States Department of Defense.

(4) Master Sergeant Bitner was born on July 4, 1973, in Hagerstown, the son of Roger and Beverly Bitner of Greencastle.

(5) Master Sergeant Bitner and his wife, April, lived in North Carolina with their two sons, Gunnar and Rogue. Bitner graduated from Greencastle-Antrim High School in 1991 and was a member of the Rescue Hose Company.

(6) Master Sergeant Bitner enlisted in the United States Army in 1991 and attended Special Forces Assessment and Selection in 1999. He graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course as an engineer sergeant.

(7) Master Sergeant Bitner had been deployed to Afghanistan four times. He also served in Africa, Kosovo, Kuwait and Iraq.

(8) Master Sergeant Bitner received numerous awards for his service, including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Parachutists Badge, Military Free-Fall Badge, Bandenkampfabzeichen Badge and Ram's Head Device.

(b) Designation.--State Route 16 from the entrance of Greencastle Borough, Franklin County, to the square or other end of the borough on State Route 16 is designated as the Master Sergeant Benjamin F. Bitner Memorial Highway.

(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the highway designated under subsection (b) to traffic in both directions.

Section 2. Effective date.

This act shall take effect in 60 days.