A portion of Colorado State Highway 115 may soon be renamed in honor of Veterans of Foreign Wars under a resolution from Sen. Dennis Hisey of Colorado Springs. 

If enacted, Senate Joint Resolution 12 would rename 12 miles of the highway as the “Veterans of Foreign Wars Warriors Memorial Highway” from Mile Marker 15 to Mile Marker 27. The Senate unanimously approved the resolution last week, and the House is scheduled to vote on it Tuesday. 

“It is my distinct pleasure and honor to be able to bring this resolution,” Hisey, R-Colorado Springs, said. “I really, really appreciate all that our veterans have done through the years, all ages to preserve this way of life and this form of government we have. And the privileges and the freedoms that I have personally.”

Veterans of Foreign Wars is a service organization for U.S. veterans of around 1.4 million members. The organization formed in 1914, with its first chapters starting in Colorado, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

In 2007, the Colorado chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars approved the state’s VFW Warriors Motorcycle Organization based in Colorado Springs. The group consists entirely of veteran bikers whose goal is to develop community and camaraderie among its members.

“For those who have served in armed conflict, there is a fraternity or sorority that immediately begins, one that you can only join through experience,” said Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, D-Pueblo, who co-sponsored the resolution. “VFW is so incredibly important to the full life of our veterans and for the communities in which our veterans live, as they continue to give a sense of purpose, a sense of community service.”

The resolution states that renaming the highway recognizes the service of all Coloradans in the armed forces serving around the world “to protect the security and peace of our nation and others” and that “we should remember the legacy of their courage and selfless sacrifice.”

There are around 400,000 veterans living in Colorado and more than 150,000 active-duty military members, according to the state. One of those veterans is Sen. Bob Rankin, R-Carbondale, who spoke in support of the resolution on the Senate floor.

“I’m the only one of us old enough to have served during the Vietnam War. When our fellow soldiers came home, they weren’t always recognized as well as we’re doing today,” Rankin said. “Just a special thanks for the people I served with and the people of that era.”