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Many U.S. states have dedicated sections of their highways to veterans of the Korean War. While these stretches of road are a tribute to those who served, they are unlinked and disparate.
Before his untimely death in 2006, Bill Clark - a Mississippi Korean War veteran - worked tirelessly to convince a number of states to dedicate a single, coast-to-coast highway to honor Korean War veterans. He believed historic U.S. 80 stretching from San Diego to Tybee Island, Ga., would be a perfect fit. The Dixie Overland Highway, as it was popularly known, was America's first ocean-to-ocean route, traversing the southern United States from California to Georgia.
Much of U.S. 80 has given way to interstate highways, but seven states - Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia - have dedicated portions of U.S. 80 within their borders in honor of Korean War veterans. Advocates continue discussions with Texas and California in an effort to complete the coast-to-coast link.
The latest state to rename U.S. 80 is Georgia. American Legion Department Commander Dale Barnett adopted the Memorial Highway project as one of his goals during his 2007-2008 tenure as state commander.
"Korean War veterans deserve to be honored," Barnett says. "Sure, there is a memorial on the Mall in Washington, but a relatively few people will ever have the opportunity to visit. On the other hand, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people will travel U.S. 80 and the roads that supplanted it."
U.S. 80 spans the state of Georgia, from Columbus to Savannah, Barnett says. "Georgia, The American Legion, and other veterans organizations take great pride in these brave men and women who demonstrated their love for their country through their military service," he says. "Despite bitter cold and torturous terrain, these young Americans bravely stood up against the threat of communism. This tribute to Georgia's Korean War veterans is long overdue."
Barnett enlisted Lamar Millar, Dick Mueller and a number of other Georgia Legionnaires to follow up on a plan to acquire permits to place Korean War markers at Columbus, Macon and Tybee Island - the Atlantic Ocean terminus of U.S. 80. The commander personally sought the assistance of Kwang-jae Lee, consul general of the Republic of Korea, who pledged his total support to the project.
"The Korean people and Americans are more than friends," Lee says, pointing out that more than 36,000 Americans lost their lives during the Korean War, forging in blood and sacrifice an alliance between the two countries.
