Memorial Highways
To cherish liberty, one need only remember how it was earned
Memorial highways make the contributions and sacrifices of veterans more visible to travelers, ensuring that their service is not forgotten. These enduring public tributes foster impactful community connections to local service members and their sacrifices.
Vietnam Veterans Boulevard, a memorial highway that connects my hometown community to Nashville, was the result of a collaborative effort between a local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter and the Tennessee state legislature. In the early 1990s, Chapter 240 worked with state lawmakers to officially rename a portion of State Highway 386 north of Nashville as "Vietnam Veterans Boulevard." It sent a message of respect and acknowledgment for those who served in the Vietnam War, particularly the 25 county residents who lost their lives in the conflict.
The chapter’s president described the renaming as "another way of saying, ‘Welcome home,’" reflecting the community’s desire to offer overdue recognition and gratitude to Vietnam veterans. The tribute was later expanded: in 2011, to install 25 commemorative signs along the highway, each listing the name, rank, and service branch of a local resident who died in Vietnam. These actions combined grassroots advocacy from the veterans’ community with formal legislative support to create a lasting memorial visible to all who travel the route.
Every Memorial Day, I remember Clifford Crenshaw who is one of the Vietnam veterans honored on Vietnam Veterans Boulevard. I knew him and his family. He was the only Vietnam Veteran that I knew who died. His pregnant fiancé was my next-door neighbor, and I went to school with his sister. I came to know his son and although he was a bit older than my son, they too became friends.
I remember the moment when we learned Clifford had been killed. The screams that came from next door penetrated our house. Clifford was African American, a handsome guy, small in stature but had a big personality. His family had a memorial in their home that was a bit unusual in retrospect. Their home had a big picture window and the casket holding his body draped in the American Flag was positioned there in front of it and displayed for several days. You could see it from the street and many in the neighborhood drove by just to see it.
The same veteran’s group also worked to establish a Veterans Park in town. It has a granite memorial listing the names of all County residents who died in service, from World War I to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The park’s Wall of Honor is composed of bricks inscribed with veterans’ names, units, and years of service. Flagpoles display the flags of the five military branches, the Tennessee state flag, and the POW/MIA flag. Facing the flags, the inscription, “To cherish liberty one need only remember how it was earned,” is etched in stone.
I come from a large family of veterans and grateful that none of them died in service, but one uncle did earn a Bronze Star during Vietnam. Because of my own service and that of others, I have nothing but contempt for the current Commander in Chief who constantly disparages service members, and their sacrifices. It’s disgusting the way he speaks to and about military folk and now he is poised to throw himself a big DC Birthday Celebration complete with a huge military parade. But that’s a story for another day.
Today we celebrate the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom. I love these Memorial Highways and remember with deep sadness and gratitude how they came to be.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/blue01.cfm
https://gardenclub.org/sites/default/files/2022-11/blue-star-program-history.pdf