Jan 16, 2025
Members of VFW Post 1548 in Libby, Montana, led a successful campaign to rename a local bridge in honor of a Silver Star recipient who lost his life in the Vietnam War.
Known personally by some members of Post 1548, Arthur Rambo was a standout baseball player at Libby High School, where he also performed in talent shows and sang in the school choir.
“Never heard one bad, ill word about the man,” VFW Post 1548 Service Officer Keith Kidwell told 8KPAX. “Everybody’s got warm, fond memories of the man.”
Rambo attended Carroll College in Helena, Montana, then transferred to the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a degree in chemical engineering. At 24 years old, he joined the military as a staff sergeant, forfeiting an exemption that would have allowed him to stay home.
“He said no, if I do not go, somebody will have to go in my place,” VFW Post 1548 Commander Bill Crews told the local news outlet of Rambo.
Rambo, who served with Howitzer Battery, 3rd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, was killed on Nov. 26, 1969, when his unit came under attack.
“Given the history of what happened after the Vietnam War, their lack of a welcome home, this is the very least we can do for him,” Crews told 8KPAX.
Post 1548 collected more than 1,000 signatures supporting the project. It then reached the Senate in Helena, introduced by Sen. Mike Cuffe, where it was passed as a bill on Jan. 8.
Although the bill still requires formal approval from the Montana House and must be signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte before it can be enacted, members of Post 1548 are confident in their efforts to memorialize Rambo’s name in their hometown of Libby.
“It was really easy to get behind and support the naming of the bridge for him, and as a Vietnam Veteran giving the ultimate sacrifice,” Crews told the local news outlet.
The memorial will feature plaques on each side of the bridge along a portion of the Kootenai River that cuts through Libby. The Montana Department of Transportation has already started the process of collecting funds to cover the costs, according to 8KPAX.