Feature to Begin with the SO1 Patrick D. Feeks Sign in Annapolis

(July 3, 2017) - Every month, Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will run a feature on the names on our highway dedication signs across the state.  You drive by them – sometimes every day – but you don’t know their inspiring stories.

We hope this feature will make the sign mean a little more…it is not just a sign, but a symbol of selfless sacrifice.  A memorial for those men and women from Maryland who have given their lives in military and/or law enforcement service.

 

 

(Photo: Patrick Feeks.)

Special Operator First Class (SO1) Patrick Feeks lost his life in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on August 16, 2012.  He was from Edgewater and began his love of public service while in middle school as a member of the Naval Sea Cadet Corps.  A 2002 graduate of South River High School, Patrick enlisted in the Navy in 2006 and eventually joined the elite ranks of the Navy SEALs.

Patrick Feeks was a dedicated family man, talented Special Operator and described as a consummate professional by his teammates.  Patrick received over nearly two dozen awards and decorations including the Bronze Star with Valor, the Purple Heart, the NATO Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.  Most of all, Patrick was a true patriot who loved his country.

The Rowe Boulevard bridge over Weems Creek in Annapolis was dedicated in Patrick Feeks memory on September 28th, 2014.

Said Patrick’s father at the ceremony, “He can’t be replaced by the bridge, but this will serve as a memorial.”

Please keep Patrick Feeks in mind as you travel this bridge and see the sign.  Remember his sign…and remember it is more than a sign. It is a memorial to remind people of the sacrifice service members like Patrick are making for their country.