Blue Star Memorial Highways will get makeover
7 sites in Nebraska will be refurbished in 2023
7 sites in Nebraska will be refurbished in 2023
7 sites in Nebraska will be refurbished in 2023
Travelers along Interstate 80 stop to rest just west of Gretna.
At the stop is a Blue Star Memorial Highway marker.
"The Blue Star itself is representative of the Blue Star that families would put in the window if they had a family member serving in the war during World War II," Mary Carlson said.
She is a veteran and a member of the Federated Garden Club of Nebraska.
She says the state added this Blue Star Memorial stop 50 years ago when this stretch of I-80 was finished.
"Interstates go back to wartime and troops, and so now these memorials bring that back," Carlson said.
But time has taken a toll on the memorial site.
The paint is worn, the structure is chipped.
"It became my mission of how to get them restored," said Carlson.
Carlson oversees fourteen Blue Star Memorial Highways in Nebraska.
She says half of them will be restored next year.
"I thought it was very important that we preserve instead of just getting new ones continuously. We have to preserve the old, and then we add," Carlson said.
Carlson says the group is looking to add Blue Star Memorial Highways in western Nebraska.
She says several veterans and advocates have stepped up to donate their time and talent to make it happen.
Carlson hopes that drivers who need a rest take the time to reflect on and respect what this monument means.
"We need to direct people out to make a stop to see how historical this spot is," Carlson said.
And she hopes the trend continues.
Carlson says the Garden Club wants to add Gold Star memorials, too.
And she said the city of Omaha is possibly looking to add one at Memorial Park.