BETHESDA, Md. — A local bridge is being named in honor of a Bethesda native who died while serving his country.

Sgt. Alessandro Carbonaro died from catastrophic injuries he suffered when his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device in Iraq in May 2006. He was 28.

Friends and family spoke of his service and dedication at an unveiling of the sign that will bear Carbonaro’s name Tuesday at Our Lady of Lourdes, a school the Marine once attended.

Senator-elect Chris Van Hollen spoke about Carbonaro’s stay at Landstuhl Air Force Base for treatment of his injuries. “He continued to ask about all the brothers in his platoon. He ignored his own pain, instead regarding his own soldiers not just as colleagues, but as brothers.”

Carbonaro’s mother, Gilda, said her son “was a person who was willing to put his life down for the values that we stand for as a country.”

“Alex didn’t start the conflict that took his life. He didn’t pick that faraway fight. But when the leaders we elected called on him, he stood and he answered that call,” said Bob Deans, a friend and neighbor of the Carbonaro family.

The sign will be installed on along the East-West Highway bridge over the Georgetown Branch Trail.