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| Street Signs Pay Tribute to Soldiers |
admin writes, "TRACY - Stockton and other towns bearing the burden of the war in Iraq are finding ways to pay tribute to the fallen.
Off Holman Road in north Stockton, streets are named for two soldiers killed in the war: Army Pfc. Jesse Mizener and Army Lt. Col. Mark D. Taylor.
In Tracy, six slain soldiers will have streets named after them in the city they once called home. The town is reviving a 20-year-old practice of naming roads in honor of fallen soldiers.
Motorists already make their way down Joseph Menusa Lane, and streets named in honor of Tracy's five other fallen soldiers will follow in sprouting subdivisions.
The family of Army Spc. Patrick Ryan McCaffrey looks forward to the day they can drive down a street named in his honor.
"We're all very anxious to see it. It would be a wonderful thing," said Nadia McCaffrey, the soldier's mother.
Scott Conover, the stepfather of Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Christopher Dewey, who was killed in 2006, said it would take time to get used to seeing his stepson and the other soldiers' names on street signs, given that type of commendation typically goes to historically notable people, such as presidents.
"You wouldn't expect to see any one of your loved ones on a street name. Even with all (Brandon) did it would take a little time to sink in," Conover said.
Tracy stands alone among San Joaquin County cities with its policy of naming streets for soldiers killed in service.
The names of new streets in the city of Stockton typically are proposed by developers and approved by the city. No rule requires the recognition of slain soldiers.
The decision to honor Mizener and Taylor was made by H.D. Arnaiz Corp., which is building a large housing development in the area.
Manteca recorded its first fatality in the Iraq war with the death of Marine Cpl. Charles O. Palmer on May 5, but the city does not have a policy similar to that of Tracy.
A memorial to all soldiers that stands outside the Manteca Public Library bears only the names of locals killed in World War I through the Vietnam War. Developers building hotels near the Big League Dreams ballpark have discussed relocating and expanding the memorial to include the names of those killed in the current war in about two years, said Karen McLaughlin, Manteca's assistant city manager.
While Manteca has no policy for street dedications, developers can name streets in their subdivisions for soldiers and have them approved by the city, McLaughlin said.
Lodi does not have a policy for dedicating streets to soldiers, city spokesman Jeff Hood said.
Kimball Hill Homes spokesman Bill Stanton said the company supports Tracy's policy.
"It just recognizes the sacrifice the people are making for the country," Stanton said, adding the company has not encountered a similar policy in other cities in which it builds.
Patrick McCaffrey lived on Robert Rusher Street - named for a soldier killed in Vietnam in 1968 - and told his mother he hoped no streets would be named for him, his mother said. In death, he would be proud of the honor, she said.
"It's also a wonderful way to remember him. It's something he would have been proud of," Nadia McCaffrey said.
Twenty-two soldiers with ties to San Joaquin County have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, three of those in May. As of Wednesday, at least 3,499 members of the U.S. military have died since the begin-ning of the Iraq war in March 2003.
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TRACY - Stockton and other towns bearing the burden of the war in Iraq are finding ways to pay tribute to the fallen.
Off Holman Road in north Stockton, streets are named for two soldiers killed in the war: Army Pfc. Jesse Mizener and Army Lt. Col. Mark D. Taylor.
In Tracy, six slain soldiers will have streets named after them in the city they once called home. The town is reviving a 20-year-old practice of naming roads in honor of fallen soldiers.
Motorists already make their way down Joseph Menusa Lane, and streets named in honor of Tracy's five other fallen soldiers will follow in sprouting subdivisions.
The family of Army Spc. Patrick Ryan McCaffrey looks forward to the day they can drive down a street named in his honor.
"We're all very anxious to see it. It would be a wonderful thing," said Nadia McCaffrey, the soldier's mother.
Scott Conover, the stepfather of Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Christopher Dewey, who was killed in 2006, said it would take time to get used to seeing his stepson and the other soldiers' names on street signs, given that type of commendation typically goes to historically notable people, such as presidents.
"You wouldn't expect to see any one of your loved ones on a street name. Even with all (Brandon) did it would take a little time to sink in," Conover said.
Tracy stands alone among San Joaquin County cities with its policy of naming streets for soldiers killed in service.
The names of new streets in the city of Stockton typically are proposed by developers and approved by the city. No rule requires the recognition of slain soldiers.
The decision to honor Mizener and Taylor was made by H.D. Arnaiz Corp., which is building a large housing development in the area.
Manteca recorded its first fatality in the Iraq war with the death of Marine Cpl. Charles O. Palmer on May 5, but the city does not have a policy similar to that of Tracy.
A memorial to all soldiers that stands outside the Manteca Public Library bears only the names of locals killed in World War I through the Vietnam War. Developers building hotels near the Big League Dreams ballpark have discussed relocating and expanding the memorial to include the names of those killed in the current war in about two years, said Karen McLaughlin, Manteca's assistant city manager.
While Manteca has no policy for street dedications, developers can name streets in their subdivisions for soldiers and have them approved by the city, McLaughlin said.
Lodi does not have a policy for dedicating streets to soldiers, city spokesman Jeff Hood said.
Kimball Hill Homes spokesman Bill Stanton said the company supports Tracy's policy.
"It just recognizes the sacrifice the people are making for the country," Stanton said, adding the company has not encountered a similar policy in other cities in which it builds.
Patrick McCaffrey lived on Robert Rusher Street - named for a soldier killed in Vietnam in 1968 - and told his mother he hoped no streets would be named for him, his mother said. In death, he would be proud of the honor, she said.
"It's also a wonderful way to remember him. It's something he would have been proud of," Nadia McCaffrey said.
Twenty-two soldiers with ties to San Joaquin County have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, three of those in May. As of Wednesday, at least 3,499 members of the U.S. military have died since the begin-ning of the Iraq war in March 2003.
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Posted on Jun 17, 2007 20:59pm.
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