COUDERSPORT – “We continue to be proud Americans.”

That was the message of a grieving, but proud, mother during an
emotional ceremony Saturday morning to dedicate the SPC Mike
Franklin Bridge in Coudersport.

Franklin was killed when his U.S. Army brigade was attacked by a
roadside bomb while on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, in March 2005.

Tina Franklin described her son as a duty-bound young man who
cared about others.

“If Mike could speak to us all today, his message would be, ‘Do
your duty; take care of your fellow man.’ That is his legacy,” she
said.

Franklin added that, like their son, she and her husband Bill
believe in the War on Terrorism as a worthy cause.

“But war is a dirty business and there’s rarely a happy ending,”
she said. “There are long hours of discomfort, confusion … violence
on a scale we can’t even imagine and, yes, death.”

Bill Franklin also addressed the gathering, thanking the
Coudersport community for helping the family cope with the
tragedy.

State Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, who shepherded the bill
through the state legislature to dedicate the East Second Street
Bridge to Franklin, pointed out that the serviceman was anxious to
follow in the footsteps of two uncles – Tina Martin Franklin’s
brothers – to serve his country.

“Specialist Franklin volunteered to leave his brigade in Korea
and put himself in harm’s way in Iraq,” Causer said. “He did that
because he believed in America’s mission in Iraq. In doing so, he
has earned the eternal gratitude of all those who have benefited
from his sacrifice.”

Col. Art C. Pace, installation chaplain at the U.S. Army
barracks in Carlisle, was also on hand to remind those attending,
“Freedom is never free, and some pay more than others.”

Also present were the Potter County Honor Guard and several
other military veterans, who stood to applause while a vocal
ensemble, the Victory Singers of Freedom Village in Lockport, N.Y.,
performed, “Armed Forces Medley.”