Bend Heroes Foundation’s Tobiason to take part in 12th, final state Medal of Honor Highway dedication in Boston

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend Heroes Foundation Chairman Dick Tobiason will participate in the dedication of the Massachusetts Medal of Honor Highway at Kenmore Square in Boston at 10 a.m. on Saturday, a milestone in the coast-to-coast effort.

This is the 12th and last state Medal of Honor Highway on U.S. Highway 20 between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans to be dedicated since the Foundation and its partners dedicated 12 Oregon Medal of Honor Highway signs on the 451-mile U.S. Hwy. 20 across Oregon five years ago.

Medal of Honor recipient US Navy Captain Thomas G. Kelley will participate in the ceremony representing the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and all 65 living Medal of Honor recipients.

Each of the 12 state Medal of Honor Highways honor the state's Medal of Honor recipients. Collectively the 12 states honor about 60% of all 3,516 recipients from all 50 states who were awarded the Medal of Honor since the Civil War.

Bend Heroes Foundation requested Senator Ron Wyden to introduce legislation in the United States Senate that would designate the 3,365-mile US Hwy 20 as National Medal of Honor Highway, honoring all recipients from all 50 states and territories and all future recipients of our nation's highest military award for valor during combat.

On May 9, Sen. Wyden introduced S.1478 that would designate U.S. Hwy 20 as National Medal of Honor Highway. A companion bill (H.R.3149) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Pennsylvania Representative Mark Kelly also on May 9.

The bills were cosponsored by Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and Representatives Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer and 19 others.