The section of State Highway 133 that runs through Oakland, Ill., now carries the name of a favorite son and Illinois National Guard officer who died in Afghanistan in 2009.

The 1st Lt. Jared W. Southworth Memorial Highway was dedicated in a ceremony Saturday in Oakland.

As Kim Southworth looked across the town park filled with people who came to honor her son, Illinois Army National Guard 1st Lt. Jared W. Southworth, she was filled with pride.

“This is an example of how small-town America honors one of our own,” Kim Southworth told those who gathered for the ceremony. “Jared loved this community.”

Southworth was killed by an improvised explosive device Feb. 8, 2009, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, along with Staff Sgt. Jason Burkholder. Southworth was serving as a platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

“If there is a more patriotic town in America, I don’t know if I could find one,” said Illinois state Sen. Chapin Rose, who helped shepherd the legislation dedicating the highway through the Illinois State Senate. State Reps. Adam Niemerg and Chris Miller pushed it through the House of Representatives.

More than a dozen of those at the dedication ceremony Saturday couldn’t attend Southworth’s funeral in 2009 — because they were still serving overseas.

“He was always on. He couldn’t shut it off,” said Sgt. 1st Class (ret.) Heath Clark, who served as Southworth’s platoon sergeant. “Sometimes he’d call in the middle of the night. He had so many ideas.”

Clark said Southworth, who earned a Ranger Tab, worked very hard to ensure his soldiers had the education they needed for combat.

“He strived to be the best in his field and was dedicated to the nation,” Miller said of Southworth, who was also a part-time police officer in Oakland. “Freedom is often defended by citizens from small towns like Oakland. He served on the streets of Oakland as well as in far-off lands. He will not be forgotten.”

National Guard