By Sahar Chmais
HAYS COUNTY – Roads around Hays County will soon carry the names of local fallen service members and first line responders to honor their heroism.
The first street under this proposal will be named after Lt. John Decker, a Marine who was killed in the Battle of Palau in the Pacific theater during World War II. Decker received a Purple Heart and the Silver Star posthumously, the third highest U.S. military combat decoration.
“Naming roads after these heroes who died in the line of duty will help create a lasting memorial to their ultimate sacrifice,” said Jude Prather, Hays County’s Veterans Services Office director.
Decker’s name will label a new road, Lt. John Decker Drive, in the Trace subdivision.
As Hays County grows and adds more streets in developments, there will be more chances to name streets after fallen heroes. The Hays County Veterans Services Office will work with veterans organizations around the county to create a list of names for these streets, Prather said. There are already a few more names lined up for when more streets become available.
“The goal is to find names that would warrant that honor,” Prather told the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch.
A ribbon cutting and ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on May 28 at 357 Horsemint Way in San Marcos, an address that is close to the new street to be named after Decker.
