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Illinois dedicates stretch of highway to fallen soldier

Posted May 02, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

GEORGETOWN, Ill. (AP) - A stretch of highway in east-central Illinois will honor a 28-year-old Vermillion County native who was killed during his first tour in Afghanistan in 2009.

Family and friends of Army Sgt. Kenneth Nichols Jr. planned to gather Monday morning at the Georgetown Township building as a stretch of Illinois 1 between Westville and Georgetown was dedicated as Sgt. Kenneth R. Nichols Jr. Memorial Highway.

Nichols died Dec. 1, 2009, when his unit attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Afghanistan's Kunar Province.

His father tells the (Champaign) News-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1NPd5YR ) that it's "a great honor" for the state to recognize the fallen soldier with a highway dedication.

Nichols was a graduate of Georgetown-Ridge Farm High School. He joined the Army in 2005.

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Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.com

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