There's a push to honor veterans from Hero Street USA in a new way.
Congresswoman Cheri Bustos has introduced a bill that would create a commemorative coin to honor the service and sacrifice of the Hero Street community in Silvis, Illinois.
Since 1968, Second Street in Silvis has been known as Hero Street. It's only a block and a half long, but it has been home to more than 100 men and women who served in the U.S. military. No other street of comparable size in the country has had as many service members.
Bustos' bill would authorize the U.S. Treasury to issue the Hero Street USA Commemorative Coin.
On Friday, May 22, 2015, Bustos met with local veterans to talk about the plan. She says it would be a fitting tribute to the area's military history.
"In the late 1920s, we had first-generation Mexican Americans who lived on this dirt road, they were born in boxcar houses, and they came here with very humble beginnings and understood the importance of fighting for their new country. So, we wanted to recognize them in the best way that we possibly could," said Bustos.
If the bill is passed, the coin would be minted in 2018.
Money from the sale of each coin would support the Wounded Warrior Project.