KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A portion of U.S. 56 between Gardner and Edgerton in Johnson County has been renamed in honor of a man from the area who died during the Iraq War.
U.S. 56 from Edgerton’s northeastern city limit to Gardner’s southwestern city limit has been designated PFC Shane Austin Memorial Highway.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2478 on Wednesday, which designated several highways and bridges in the state in memoriam.
Austin — who was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and attended school in the Gardner-Edgerton School District after a family move — was killed by a grenade Oct. 8, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq.
He was 19 years old and had joined the U.S. Army 10 months before the deadly attack on his tank during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Kansas Department of Transportation will place signs along the stretch of highway to mark the new memorial designation.
Austin was stationed in Baumholder, Germany, and deployed to Iraq with Company A, 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
He had recently been promoted to the rank of Private First Class when he was killed and was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, which are awarded for heroic or meritorious achievement or service.
There was a public memorial in his honor Oct. 20, 2006, at Gardner-Edgerton High School. He was buried with full military honors at Fort Leavenworth Cemetery.
