Marine’s memory preserved with bridge dedication
HOLTVILLE — For the family of Erik H. Silva, the past 18 years have been imbued with a profound sense of loss and a keen intent to ensure the young U.S. Marine corporal’s memory wouldn’t be lost to time following his April 3, 2003, death in combat in Iraq.
That feeling, particularly for parents Javier “Jack” Silva and Gloria Meza, is unlikely ever to pass entirely, but on Friday, Erik Silva’s name was preserved indefinitely in steel and concrete with the official dedication of the Marine Corporal Erik. H. Silva Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Alamo River on State Route 115 leading into town.
Erik Silva was only 22 years old when he died. “It’s been 6,798 days since his death,” his brother Isaac said at Friday’s dedication ceremony. “Not a day goes by when we don’t think of him. There have been good days, and there have been rough days. Today is a good day.”
The idea to rename the bridge originated about four years ago with the city’s fire chief, Alex Silva (no relation), who had known Erik since he was a child.
“The day I learned of Erik’s passing, it broke my heart,” he recalled.
Former Bradley-Keffer Post 138 American Legion Auxiliary President Kim Vincent also took up the cause. She helped initiate the legislative mechanism necessary to have the bridge renamed by bringing the matter to the attention of Assembly member Eduardo Garcia. She also was involved in the fundraising necessary to pay for new signage and other costs associated with rechristening a stretch of state road.
Garcia’s Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 37 passed on July
23, 2019. It directed Caltrans “to determine the cost of erecting appropriate signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from non-state sources covering that cost, to erect those signs …”
The bridge he helped rename has long held special significance for Garcia, too. He recalled Friday that he had cousins living in Holtville that he and his family would visit when he was a child.
“We knew we were almost here when we crossed that bridge,” he said.
District 5 Imperial County Supervisor Ray Castillo also spoke at Friday’s event. “The Singing Supervisor,” as he is sometimes known, lived up to his nickname by performing a traditional Mexican ballad entitled “Soldado Raso” (“Roughneck Soldier”) in Erik Silva’s honor.
After the ceremony ended, Isaac Silva expressed a sense of relief that fitting tribute had been paid to his brother. “Now it’s time for him to rest,” he said.