Highway dedicated to Cpl. Jacob Moore

BOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) - Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, along with state and local officials, joined the American Legion in Boyd County to dedicate the “Corporal Jacob M. Moore, USMC Memorial Highway” and honor the life of the local Marine along with his service to his country.

Moore, 24, of Catlettsburg, died March 19 in a military aircraft crash while on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps in Norway.

He was a 2016 graduate of Boyd County High School, served with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. His decorations include the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Medal.

Corporal Moore was in Norway along with 30,000 other soldiers from 27 countries for NATO’s Cold Response exercises. Every two years, NATO service members travel to the edge of the Arctic Circle to train in Northern Scandinavia’s frozen wilderness.

Moore’s mother Michelle helped choose the location in Boyd County since it’s an area the family passes by daily.

“He’s my warrior in heaven now,” she said. “It’s a beautiful sign, that name just glistens in my eyes.”

Permanent state highway signs were placed to mark KY 3 from Bear Creek Road (Kentucky Highway 1937) to KY 180 and to mark KY 180 from KY 3 to the Interstate Highway 64 underpass as the “Corporal Jacob M. Moore, USMC Memorial Highway.” The signs will be maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in perpetuity.

The community has spent the last four months finding ways to pay tribute and honor a local hero.

“This young man gave totally of himself, serving his country and our community with his whole heart,” state Sen. Robin Webb of Grayson said. “While we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude we owe him and his family, these memorial signs will serve as a lasting tribute of our thankfulness.”

State Rep. Scott Sharp, of Ashland, is a retired Army veteran and says this dedication reflects a grateful community and nation.

“This is an expression of our appreciation for his life and his sacrifice that will exist for generations to come,” Sharp said. “We want people to remember him, now and in the future.”

Acting on a recommendation by the Governor’s Senior Advisor, Rocky Adkins, the Boyd County Fiscal Court approved a resolution requesting that the Transportation Cabinet name the highway “in recognition of the sacrifice Cpl. Moore made serving our great country.”

Adkins said, “It was an honor to pay tribute to Cpl. Moore and to be with Jacob’s family today as we recognized his ultimate sacrifice for this great nation with the naming and dedication of ‘Corporal Jacob M. Moore, USMC Memorial Highway.’”

“That has been and will always be our goal — to remember Cpl. Moore and keep him in our thoughts daily,” Boyd County Judge Executive Eric Chaney said. “The commissioners and I salute a man who made our community proud, and we’re grateful that the state will maintain these signs as a testimonial for him in which everyone can share.”

The family says they’re also working on a monument to be placed at the veterans cemetery in Greenup County where Jacob is buried, next to Medal of Honor recipient Ernie West.

They’re currently in the design stage. Once it’s approved by the cemetery, they can then work on the fundraising portion.

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