On Monday, the state Senate passed S.4317A, sponsored by state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, to rename the I-86 bridge over Main Street in Randolph the CPL William James Hillard II Memorial Bridge. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate, but still needs to be approved in the state Assembly.

“Yesterday was Memorial Day, where we honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation and today this bill honors someone who has made that sacrifice. Corp. William James Hillard is one of those extraordinary people who has paid a debt we cannot repay — paying with his very life,” Borrello said on the Senate floor.

Hillard was born on March 1, 1948, ,and killed in action in Vietnam on March 15, 1969. He was a June 1966 graduate of Randolph Central School and sang in the school choir.

Hillard was a construction equipment repairman with Company B, 26th Engineer Battalion, at Chu Lai. The 26th Engineers were combat engineers who supported the 23rd Infantry Division and Vietnamese forces operating in the I Corps area. The 26th Engineers were also known as the “White Lions.”

State Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, speaks on behalf of S.4713A on the state Senate floor on Monday.

Before Vietnam, Hillard was a Peace Corps volunteer, trained at the University of California-Davis, and sent to Maharashtra, India, in February 1967 as part of the India 41 food production project. He was sent into a remote rural area alone without a working knowledge of the language. He returned in October 1967. Two months later, on Dec. 9, 1967, he married the former Rosemary Brain of Randolph.

“In peacetime and in war, Corp. Hillard devoted his young life to serving others and to serving his country,” Borrello said.

“He embodied the ideals of honor, duty and courage which exemplify men and women who serve in our nation’s armed forces.”

He enlisted in March of 1968, completed basic training at Fort Dix, N.J., and advanced individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He was then shipped directly overseas to join the 26th Engineers. The corporal died March 15, 1969, 15 days after he turned 21, at Quang Ngai.

Hillard earned the Purple Heart and two Bronze Star Medals with one oak leaf cluster. His other awards included the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal with 60 date bar, the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm, and the Presidential Unit Citation.

“As Americans we must never forget those who paid this ultimate sacrifice and renaming this bridge will be one more step in ensuring that those who gave their lives are never forgotten here in New York state and across the nation,” Borrello said.