As a Western Illinois University student from Hamilton, Ill., Whitaker often traveled down Illinois Route 336. A staff sergeant in the Iowa National Guard, Whitaker was studying at Western for a bachelor's degree in biology.

However, tragedy struck on April 1, 2012, when Whitaker, 27, was killed in a motorcycle accident in Keokuk, Iowa.

Whitaker's parents, Macomb Mayor Mike Inman. state Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, and Kathy Meyers, assistant director of the Veterans Resource Center at Western, gathered Monday on the portion of the road named after Whitaker. Two members of the Illinois National Guard were also present.

Dustin served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004-2005 and in Operation Enduring Freedom from 2010-11. He received a Purple Heart for his first tour of duty after being wounded by an improvised explosive device.

Proceeds from the SSG Dustin A. Whitaker bracelet will be donated to Legacies Alive.