Naval Station (NAVSTA) Newport recognized the 10th anniversary of the death of Lt. j.g. Francis L. Toner IV, CEC, USN during a ceremony at a bridge named in his honor March 27.

Toner, a Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer, better known as a “Seabee,” was killed March 27, 2009, by an Afghan National Army soldier at Camp Shaheen in Afghanistan. He was six months into a year-long Individual Augmentation assignment with the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command North, Mazar-E-Sharif, Afghanistan.

“A patriot, a son, a husband, a brother and a Seabee was lost in a moment of irrational and inexplicable violence,” said Capt. Richard Hayes III, NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic commanding officer. “His zest for life lives on in his family, friends and the very fabric of the Civil Engineer Corps.”

The bridge, connecting Coasters Harbor Island and Coddington Point, was officially named in his honor on March 27, 2011 -- two years following his death in Afghanistan.

“Let’s remember, not just Frankie’s sacrifice and love of his fellow service members, but his passion for life and living it to its fullest potential. Live as Frankie did—fully, with delight, with devotion, and with love,” said Hayes.

Guests including his father, Frank Toner III, his step-mother Sharon Toner and sister Amanda Ganacoplos attended the ceremony along with other family members, friends and colleagues held exactly ten years to the day of his death.

“I am proud of the hero he became and truly always was, but most days I only quietly thank God for his life and his love,” his widow Brooke Toner wrote in a letter read at the ceremony by his father, Frank Toner. “Frankie certainly deserves to be remembered today and every day.”

Amanda placed a wreath at the memorial plaque on the bridge as taps echoed across Narragansett Bay.

Excerpts from the plaque citation mounted on the bridge highlighted Toner’s “heroic achievement; superior leadership; and unmatched technical expertise,” in connection with combat operations. Toner had been serving as garrison engineer mentor for the 209th Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA).

Toner was a resident of Narragansett, R.I., at the time of his death, and had been, for a brief period of time, assigned to the NAVSTA Newport Public Works Department. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 2006.

A plaque also hangs at the entrance to the Camp Spann Firehouse, Afghanistan, honoring Toner and reads in part: “He forged close relationships with Afghan officers, contractors, and language assistants, embodying the professional skills and personal commitment necessary for counterinsurgency. He was instrumental in the engineering and construction of over $100 million dollars of facilities across the nine provinces of northern Afghanistan. He died the way he lived; protecting others.”

“Frankie had a zest for life, and an upbeat and humble spirit. He was very proud and honored to serve his country,” his father Frank Toner III said. He recalled that when his son called home from Afghanistan, he would always ask for toys, clothes and school supplies for Afghan children. “He is sorely missed.”

Toner was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Service device and a Silver Star for his heroic achievements in Afghanistan. He was also awarded the Purple Heart medal for wounds he received in action.

On May 30, 2009, Toner was honored as a fallen hero by the State of Rhode Island. His name was entered on a granite memorial in the Garden of Heroes during a ceremony at the State House in Providence, R.I.

The $15.5 million bridge built by the American Bridge Company, officially opened to traffic June 18, 2010. The 963-foot concrete bridge replaced an outdated bridge that is now used as a pedestrian walkway.

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