It was almost two years ago to the day that Plymouth began mourning the news that Captain Douglas DiCenzo had been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq while serving his country.

The Army lost a West Point graduate and one of its dedicated leaders. The town lost one of Plymouth High School's brightest graduates and top athletes. DiCenzo's family lost a son and brother whose dedication they never questioned. Nicole DiCenzo lost a husband and her 1-year-old son, Dakin, lost his father.

On Monday a crowd made up of hundreds of residents, soldiers, friends, classmates and dignitaries stood in silence as they watched Dakin help his mother in pulling a shroud off a granite block that officially marked the dedication of the new bridge as the Douglas A. DiCenzo Memorial Bridge.

DiCenzo died while serving on May 25, 2006, and it wasn't long after that bridge construction general contractor Dick Piper came up with the idea of dedicating the span in his honor.

A committee was formed to raise money and legislation was set into motion that formally approved the dedication.

DARYL CARLSON/CITIZEN PHOTO NICOLE DICENZO and her son, Dakin, unveil a memorial to her husband Capt. Doug DiCenzo during a bridge dedication ceremony in Plymouth Monday. DiCenzo, who was born and raised in Plymouth, was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq on May 25, 2006. Click here to view Foster's prints for sale

Memorial Day marked the official dedication of the bridge and the event was huge for a town whose recent loss brings into focus the importance of the holiday.

Retired Marine Major John Boyle, the chair of the bridge committee, recalled the community meeting at Plymouth High School after Doug's death and said Monday's ceremony marked a changing of the seasons that continues to involve the honoring of a man whom Plymouth Selectmen's Chair Wallace Cushing called one of the town's "finest sons."

The bridge is the fifth to span the Pemigewasset from Plymouth to Holderness and several speakers commented that its connection and strength are appropriate in representing DiCenzo — a dedicated soldier and committed family man.

"Thank you for your vision," said Boyle to Piper in honoring the man's idea of using the bridge as a tribute.

Gov. John Lynch attended Monday's ceremony and made it clear that DiCenzo is among the examples of courage that come from New Hampshire.

"Doug was a true leader and it's here in Plymouth that those seeds were planted. Today we are naming this bridge for a hero ... our hero," said Lynch before stepping down and embracing DiCenzo's wife.

Citizen Photo/Geoff Cunningham Jr. TWO LADDER TRUCKS help fly a huge American flag over the newly dedicated Douglas A. DiCenzo Memorial Bridge in Plymouth on Monday. Click here to view Foster's prints for sale

Capt. Jake Miller, DiCenzo's longtime friend and West Point roommate, traveled from the West Coast for the dedication and recalled the man for his love of country and his home state of New Hampshire.

He recalled times in basic training when DiCenzo's fellow soldiers were exhausted and could barely speak. It was during these times that DiCenzo could be heard shouting "Live Free or Die" prompting the entire group to work harder and push on.

Miller was also serving in Iraq when his mother called him and informed him that his longtime friend had been killed.

He said the period that followed brought anger and despair but he assured that Doug's memory helped him continue on.

"I knew Doug was not the type of person to tolerate those feelings," explained Miller.

Those gathering at the bridge honored all of those who served the country in the name of freedom, with DiCenzo being an exampled of what is at stake.

Nicole DiCenzo said the community helped support her and Doug's son through the period following his death but expressed her strong belief that he isn't gone from their lives.

"One day I will see Doug again," said Nicole as she choked back tears.

Citizen Photo/Geoff Cunningham Jr. MEMBERS OF the 237th Military Police Company get into formation during the dedication of Plymouth's Douglas A. DiCenzo Memorial Bridge on Monday. The Memorial Day event drew hundreds of resident to the bridge, which was dedicated to the Plymouth man who died while serving in the Army in 2006 in Iraq. Click here to view Foster's prints for sale