Friday is Veterans Day.
It is a time for us to pay our respects to those who have served in our nation's military.

A special group of veterans are being memorialized with the dedication of a local bridge.

"I wanted to do it for my brothers and my sisters who aren't here anymore. It looked lonesome down there. It needed a sign. And that's one helluva sign!" said Purple Heart recipient, Clifford Gray of Austintown.

He took part in a dedication ceremony for a sign that will now stand at the bridge going over the Meander Reservoir on Mahoning Avenue between North Jackson and Austintown.

The Purple Heart is given to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the U.S. military.

Leo Connelly Jr. of The Military Order of the Purple Heart chapter 606 says it took a lot of work to make this sign a reality for the bridge. But he says it's worth it.

"99% didn't go to war or didn't go into the military. It's our duty for our brothers and sisters that lost their loves or spilled blood to education that 99% to let them know what the cost of freedom was," said Connelly Jr.

County commissioners say we owe these veterans, literally everything.

"It's a solemn day yet it's a happy day that we could honor them," said Carol Rimedio-Righetti.

"Everytime you go past this sign say a little prayer for those who couldn't be here. This is for them!" added Connelly Jr.