State Rep. Dave Prestin today secured committee passage of his House Bill 4351, which would designate a stretch of U.S. Highway 41 as the Specialist David Anthony Wilkey Jr. Memorial Highway. Wilkey was killed in the line of duty by an improvised explosive device while serving in Baghdad on June 18, 2007.

“Naming this section of highway in his honor will serve as a lasting tribute for Specialist Wilkey –not only to his sacrifice, but to the loved ones he left behind,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “This stretch of U.S. 41 will serve as a reminder for all who pass by that the freedoms we enjoy are secured by the courage of those who serve.”

Wilkey was raised in the Upper Peninsula. He was an avid outdoorsman and a proud member of his community.

“Specialist Wilkey’s classmates remembered him as a young man of character and compassion,” Prestin said. “The kind of person who really cares for others.”

At the age of 22, Wilkey answered the call to serve his country, deploying to Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division. After his tragic death, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart in recognition of his bravery and sacrifice.

Wilkey left behindhis wife, a one-year-old son, a stepson, and an unborn child. He now rests in Spalding Township Cemetery. For the past 18 years, his family, his friends, and his neighbors have carried the weight of his loss.

The section of U.S. 41 that Prestin is working to rename in Wilkey’s honor is located just south of Powers in Spalding Township, the community where Wilkey grew up.

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