Nebraska Medal of Honor Highway HWY 20

The meeting is on December 13, 2019 in Lincoln, NE at 8:30 AM in the Department of Roads (NDoR) building on 1500 HWY 2, across from the State Penitentiary.

Attend the meeting on December 13th.  Wear your Veterans hat.  Load your car with fellow vets and make it a day you’ll always remember. Support the Heroes of Heroes, our Nebraska Medal of Honor Recipients.

We need to overwhelm the Commissioners with Nebraska Veterans support.   There are two other entities attempting to have other highways renamed and the Commissioners are only allowed to accept one per year. 

The details of the walk are still being formulated.  It is scheduled to begin on Mothers Day, May 10.  It will end on May 22nd at Siouxland Freedom Park in South Sioux City, NE.

The Nebraska Medal of Honor Highway belongs to all Nebraskans. This will be the longest named highway in the state and should be source of pride to all Nebraska Veterans and Patriots.

In early 2018 veterans from Oregon began a push to name Highway 20 from Newport Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts, The Medal of Honor Highway.  PDC Gene Twiford picked up on the effort and began the process of renaming HWY 20 in Nebraska the Nebraska Medal of Honor Highway to honor the 73 Medal of Honor Recipients from Nebraska.

In Nebraska this is no small project.  He had to obtain letters of support from every community and county along HWY 20.  As we neared completion of this first phase, Ken Hanel and Daryl Harrison joined PDC Twiford and began the second phase of gaining the political support that would be needed to present this project to the Nebraska Department of Roads Commissioners (NDoR).

Letters requesting support were garnered from Senator Bob Kerrey (Medal of Honor Recipient) and the Nebraska Veterans Council (Representing all registered Veteran Service Organizations) along with the American Legion passing a resolution of support for the name change.

In those letters we reported that this action has the support of over 30,000 Nebraska Veterans.  We have received a copy of a letter sent to the Nebraska Department of Roads Commissioners (NDoR) by those five Senators supporting the Nebraska Medal of Honor Highway.  This was great day for the project. 

Currently we are looking at six signs.  One as you enter the state from either the west end and the east end and two placed at the crossroads of the American Legion Memorial Highway (O’Neil) and two at the crossroads of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Highway (Valentine).  The NDoR has suggested that if we are successful a spare sign for immediate replacement of a damaged or missing sign should be stored with the responsible Road Superintendent for that region.  Making for a total initial need of 12 signs and the placement of 6.

In Nebraska those that have a highway renamed become responsible for putting up the signage.  Thus, we are at the cusp of beginning phase 3.  Phase 3 is the formation of a non-profit foundation to be named the Nebraska Medal of Honor Foundation.

 

Contact: Daryl G. Harrison (402)922-1329