President Biden on Dec. 17 signed into law a bill sponsored by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) to designate U.S. Route 20 as the National Medal of Honor Highway.
The 3,365-mile Highway 20 (Main Street in Sweet Home) runs from Newport, Ore., to Boston, through Erie County, Pa., which is Kelly’s district. The passage in the U.S. House comes after legislatures and governors in all 12 states along U.S. Route 20 have designated their state Medal of Honor Highways. Highway 20 crosses Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts.
“This designation covers more than 3,000 miles through Erie County and along U.S. Route 20, America’s longest highway. By designating U.S. Route 20 as the ‘National Medal of Honor Highway,’ we commemorate all 3,519 recipients of the award, both living and passed,” Kelly said.
“It’s my sincere hope that the millions of Americans who travel the highway each year – from Bend to Chicago to Erie to Boston – will take a moment to reflect on the extraordinary sacrifice, courage, and devotion exhibited by every single Medal of Honor recipient. We owe them a debt we can never repay. Designating this highway is just one way and we can cement their legacy in American history.”
You can watch Rep. Kelly’s speech on the House floor about the legislation at www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQXN7tXOKdg.
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military award for valor, presented by the president in Congress’s name. U.S. service members who distinguish themselves “through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty” can receive the medal.
Redesignating U.S. Highway 20 — the longest continuous highway in the United States — as the “National Medal of Honor Highway” would honor each state’s current and future Medal of Honor recipients and recipients from any state who travel on it, according to a statement from Kelly’s office.
The 12 states along U.S. Highway 20 account for about 62 percent of all 3,519 Medal of Honor awards presented since the Civil War.
The legislation is supported by the Bend Heroes Foundation, Military Officers Association of America, American Legion, Legion of Valor, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Vietnam Veterans of America, and the Medal of Honor Historical Society of the United States.