Remembering those who served

From the Wyoming/Nebraska border to the opposite side of the state, 432 miles along U.S. Highway

20, link the state’s Pine Ridge region, sandhills and Elkhorn River, before reaching Siouxland Freedom

Park in South Sioux City.

It’s a 432-mile walk Ken Hanel, of West Point, and Daryl Harrison, of Thurston, know well. The

pair completed the walk Saturday, after starting May 11. The 432-mile route wasn’t selected by happenstance.

In February 2020, Governor Pete Ricketts named Highway 20 as the Nebraska Medal of Honor Highway, recognizing Nebraska’s 74 Medal of Honor recipients.

Hanel’s and Harrison’s entourage arrived in Orchard, May 19 and spent the evening meeting with members of Orchard’s American Legion post at the Rex Theater.

Harrison, Nebraska Medal of Honor Foundation president, said the two, along with backup walkers, alternated walking six-mile segments, totaling 36 miles a day, before completing the 37th mile segment together.

The movement to name Highway 20 a Medal of Honor Highway, from sea to shining sea, began in Oregon. Nebraska followed suit of Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to designate the 3,365-mile route, which stretches from Newport, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts.

Harrison told area residents, Wednesday, that Nebraska faced a stronger battle to rename the highway than states located west of here.

“In Nebraska, you have to have every permission of every town along the highway. And, every county had to sign off on it also,” Harrison said.

Counties in the western portion of Nebraska weren’t sure about redubbing the highway, especially since a stretch from Fort Robinson to Hay Springs is named the Crazy Horse Memorial Highway. Eventually, a compromise regarding signage was reached.

After discovering the American Legion would be responsible for the costs of signs placed along the route, Harrison told Legion members he would “walk it and get the money himself.”

In 2019, Hanel and Harrison started working out to prepare for the trip.

Then, COVID hit, derailing plans.

"We worked out a long time to get to this point,” Harrison said. “For me it was easy. I’m only 66. There wasn’t anything easy about it. Ken’s 74.”

Both walkers admit it’s a strong commitment.

Their workouts lasted between three and four hours a day.

“Take three or four hours out of every day of your life and figure out how much commitment that takes to keep with it,” Harrison said.

The commitment level comes from each of Nebraska’s Medal of Honor recipients, according to Harrison.

He recounted the story of World War I soldier and medal recipient, Nelson Holderman.

“When you read Holderman’s story, you begin understand true bravery, true integrity. It’s just unbelievable what that man did,” Harrison said.

Holderman was part of the Lost Battalion, sent into the Argon Forest and fought German troops for three days.

“It’s like a hook. You understand what brave men are about.”

The two men have explained signage options to audiences along the route.

One type is a larger brown sign, signifying the highway’s name. Harrison said the state of Nebraska cannot produce the sign with the graphics and those needed to be contracted to an outside source. Twelve signs will be placed across the state. Each sign costs approximately $2,000.

The second type of sign will be 24 inches by 24 inches and will be attached on the population sign of each community along Highway 20.

“Now the Nebraska Medal of Honor Highway has been branded,” Harrison said.

According to Harrison, Nebraska’s Highway 20 is a unique route.

“In the west, you’ve got Ft. Robinson and the Crazy Horse Memorial Highway, it goes all the way to Hay Springs. When you get to Valentine, you have the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial, north and south across there. When you get to O’Neill, you get the American Legion Memorial Highway, north and south, across America. And then, when you get to our eastern border, you have the middle of the National Medal of Honor Highway.”

Hanel led the group Thursday, leaving Orchard at 5 a.m. By 6:10, as sunlight filtered above the horizon, Hanel walked through Royal en route to the

next stop.

One mile east of town, Harrison offered a reprieve and set pace on the next six-mile jaunt.

Flanked by an army of American Legion Riders, Hanel and Harrison completed the walk at Nebraska’s largest veterans memorial at Siouxland Freedom Park.

Hanel told the crowd, “We made a 12-day sacrifice, but you got to remember our men and women of the armed forces, they keep a vigil over this country 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

Nebraska Medal of Honor recipient Jim McCloughan was on hand to witness the festivities. He called the walk “a humbling experience.”

Saturday, Harrison and Hanel passed a flag to Iowa Legion members, urging them to name their segment of the roadway.