BORDENTOWN CITY, NJ — The way Bordentown resident Army Specialist Benjamin Moore lived his life justifies the naming of a bridge after him that connects two parts of Crosswicks Creek, his U.S. Army Captain said at a Saturday ceremony at Bordentown Beach that made that naming official. 

"I was there present and watched Ben's positivity, his humor, his charisma, connect well across every single one of his peers, every single one of his leaders, and really anybody he met. He was invaluable throughout both our hardships and our joys, throughout the training and our deployment,” said Charles Comfort, who is now a Colonel. “As I look across this audience today, Ben's connection spans far and wide.” 

The naming of the bridge after Moore and the unit he served with – the 693rd Sapper Company – is the culmination of a years-long effort by his mother, Amy, who is also president of the American Gold Star Mothers Department of New Jersey. She told TAPinto Bordentown during Saturday’s ceremony that the day was spurring many emotions.

“I’m overwhelmed… I’m proud and I’m grateful,” Amy said, in between greeting and hugging many of the well-wishers who came out to the ceremony. She also noted that Ben had completed some of his firefighter and emergency medical technician training at Bordentown Beach, making it the ideal location to hold the bridge-naming ceremony. 

Add Ben’s father, Pat: “It's emotional but a wonderful thing that we honor and remember all our fallen soldiers, so none of them are forgotten.”

Moore, who was a 2006 graduate of Bordentown Regional High School and informally known as the Mayor of Bordentown for his commitment to improving the area, was 23 years old when he and two of his 693rd Sapper Company comrades were killed in action by an improvised explosive device on January 12, 2011, in Ghazni Province during Operation Enduring Freedom. 

“There is no way to explain what it feels like to lose a child in the line of duty,” Amy said during her prepared remarks. “It's a pain that becomes a part of you, but so too does the pride of knowing that our son stood for something greater than himself, that he lived a life of service, that he believed deeply in protecting others, both at home and abroad.”

Amy and Pat also used their remarks during Saturday’s ceremony to thank the multiple people and organizations for their ongoing support since Moore’s death, including Bordentown’s fire and police departments, city council, state and federal lawmakers and public works departments.

Several dignitaries also spoke at Saturday’s event. 

One speaker, Bordentown City Mayor Jennifer Sciortino, presented the Moores with a cypress sapling. Sciortino said such trees have been linked to mourning and funerary practices as well as “immortality, hope, transition and linking them to the ideas of eternal life and remembrance” for thousands of years.

Another speaker, State Senator Troy Singleton, who the Moores said helped ensure the bridge was named after their son and his military unit, said the best way to honor Moore’s legacy is to “make sure that we give a country worthy of that sacrifice each and every day, not just for us, but for our future generations as well.”

After the sign indicating the bridge is named after Benjamin Moore and the 693rd Sapper Company was unveiled, a police car escorted approximately 50 vehicles over that bridge, which is on Interstate 295 between Exits 57 and 60 and crosses Crosswicks Creek. 

Moore was also the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Hart, the Combat Action Badge, the Good Conduct Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the NATO Medal for his heroism, patriotism and service.

Original Article