The Sgt. Ralph Bridge was constructed in memory of Sgt. Cornelius Michael Ralph who died serving in with Canadian Peacekeepers’ Operation Harmony in 1992 serving in Croatia.
Captain B.J. Carrigan a captain with the 37 Combat Engineers had this to say, "Somebody else was supposed to move the truck but Mike told them to stay where they were. As he moved it forward, there were several mines underneath the ground they didn't see. It blew his truck and killed Mike.
He loved being an engineer, he loved being a soldier and serving his country. And he did it in the most professional way that anybody could ever do it. It's important for his family, for his grandkids to know that their grandfather and their father and Charlie's husband was an outstanding soldier. And that we should never forget him.”
Sgt. CM Ralph’s widow Lorraine Ralph was at the reopening and dedication of the bridge in 1992 and had this to say about the memorial.
"It shows them that they mean something. To the community, to everyone. Knowing that they put this up out of love, it just fills my heart right up."
"Even though he would've been embarrassed because Mike wasn't somebody that put himself forward and had to have attention. He would've done this for the boys but he'd never expected it to be done to him," she said.
The bridge was originally built in 1994 but later had to have repairs to make it safe for large armored vehicles to cross. Reconstruction costed 3.5 million.
