Medal of Honor recipients could get their own stretch of highway

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - It's a highway that has a lot of recognition. Now, lawmakers want to recognize some local heroes with it. A resolution by State Senators Brandt Hershman and Ron Alting asks that one mile sections of the Hoosier Heartland Highway in Tippecanoe County be named after local Medal of Honor recipients.

Hershman said it's an idea from the Tippecanoe County Veterans Council.

"We have [three Medal of Honor recipients]," Tippecanoe County Veterans Council Member Jamie Richards said. "We have Lieutenant Johnson, General Shoup, and Master Sergeant McCall. All are either from Tippecanoe County or joined the service from Tippecanoe County, and have received the Medal of Honor. One [received the honor] during the Civil War, and the others during World War II."

Hershman said the resolution has been passed on to the Department of Transportation for review. He is confident it will be passed. He said similar things have been done to honor veterans.

"We named [County Road] 350 South in Tippecanoe County Veterans Memorial Parkway," Hershman said. "We've named a bridge over the Hoosier Heartland corridor already. But this honors the individual members."

Why pick the Hoosier Heartland Highway? Both Hershman and Richards said the highway, which gets a lot of attention and traffic, is the perfect place to honor those who receive the highest honor in the United States Military.

"It's a nice honor for those individuals," Hershman said. "It's a great daily reminder for those people who drive that stretch of highway about the people who have sacrificed for the freedom and liberty we all enjoy."

Hershman and Richards hopes if the resolution passes it will inspire other counties along the Hoosier Heartland Highway to recognize more local Medal of Honor recipients.