A victory for veterans

By Staff
May 19, 2004
The Meridian City Council on Tuesday unanimously endorsed efforts to designate Highway 80 as Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway. It was the first time the proposal had been before the city council; the idea had been blocked for several weeks by the John Robert Smith administration, whose reasoning was, well, less than convincing.
When the proposal was put on the council's agenda for Tuesday's meeting, all five members of the city's governing body acted quickly. They joined all other governing units along Highway 80 from Vicksburg to the Alabama line including Lauderdale County supervisors, who endorsed the project on April 5 in remembering Korean War veterans for their sacrifices and contributions.
It is unfortunate that such an honorary designation met with such controversy among some city officials in Meridian, but it is time for bygones to be bygones. Now, armed with support from every governing jurisdiction along the highway's route, the effort to honor Korean War veterans can be carried forward.
We applaud members of the Meridian City Council for their prompt, sensitive and appropriate handling of this proposal.