The Bent Creek Road bridge over Interstate 85 in Auburn officially was dedicated Sept. 10 in memory of Medal of Honor recipient Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins.
Adkins passed away from complications with COVID-19 in 2020 at the age of 86. He was an Oklahoma native, but called Opelika home much of his life.
He served in the Army and joined Special Forces during the Vietnam War, in which he distinguished himself during battle in 1966.
Adkins received the Medal of Honor in 2014. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
His military bio and Medal of Honor citation can be found here.
After the Army, Adkins taught night classes at Southern Union Community College and Auburn University.
During the bridge-dedication ceremony, many of Adkins’ family members, including his three children, Keith Adkins, Mary Ann Adkins Blake, and Michael Adkins were in attendance as well as a number of local agency representatives.
Attending were Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones; Lee County Probate Judge Jere Colley; Commissioners Doug Cannon, Richard LaGrand and Ross Morris; Lee County Engineer Justin Hardee; Auburn Mayor Ron Anders; Auburn City Councilman Tyler Adams; state Reps. Joe Lovvorn and Chris Blackshear; state Sen. Jay Hovey; and others.
Information from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office contributed to this report.
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