David John Ortals, a United States Marine Corps corporal who was killed in action during the Vietnam War, was honored on Saturday for his service when the County of Bucks dedicated County Bridge No. 15 in his name.
Ortals, who enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1967, served as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Mechanic with Headquarters 8 Maintenance Squadron 11, Marine Air Group 11, 1st Marine Air Wing. He died on May 22, 1970, in Da Nang, Vietnam.
The bridge is located on Frosty Hollow Road in Levittown, between the Upper Orchard and Snowball Gate communities. Ortals grew up in Upper Orchard and attended Bishop Egan High School before transferring to and graduating from Neshaminy High School. He was on the varsity basketball team of both schools.
The bridge was dedicated on the same day that Ortals’ mother Winnie celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family at her home in Arizona. She watched the ceremony via livestream.
The Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is working with Bucks County on the dedication of bridges in honor of Bucks County servicemen and women who died in the Vietnam War. The PAVVMF previously created and in 2021 dedicated the Lower Bucks County Vietnam Veterans Memorial to Lower Bucks victims of the Vietnam War. Many of its members also were instrumental in bringing the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall to Bucks County in 2017. Visit lbcvvm.org for more information.
