Idaho Recognizes U.S. 26 as POW-MIA Memorial Highway

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)-A United States highway that runs through Idaho will officially recognize all those who went missing or were captured during times of war. The Idaho Department of Transportation announced the official unveiling ceremony in Carey for the POW-MIA Memorial Highway on October 6 (Wed) for U.S. Highway 26.

Representative Scott Syme and Senator Patti Anne Lodge sponsored a bill in the last legislative session designating U.S. 26 as a memorial to prisoners of war and missing in action soldiers. The bill was approved by lawmakers and sent to the governor's desk for signing in April. According to ITD, Idaho has eight soldiers considered MIA. The reason the ceremony is being held in Carey is it was home to a helicopter pilot, Jon Michael Sparks, who went missing in Laos on March 19, 1971.

Idaho now adds to the effort to designate all of U.S. 26, from end to end, the POW-MIA Memorial Highway. Idaho now joins several other states in making that designation, according to ITD. Crews will install 10 signs along U.S. 26 in Idaho that goes from the Oregon border to the Montana border. The ceremony will take place Wednesday at 2 p.m. October 6, at the Carey City Park.

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