Part of Rutledge Pike renamed to honor Korean War veteran

CORRYTON, Tenn. (WATE) — A Korean War veteran honored during a memorial ceremony on Wednesday.

US Army Private First Class Glenn Paul Wood served in the Korean War and received a purple heart after being injured by an enemy grenade.

“He was injured in the Korean War. We are very proud of him,” Glenn’s son Larry Wood said. “He went through a hard time in the war he was injured pretty bad.”

The hero dedicating his life to serve.

“He’d tell me stories about digging through dead bodies trying to find ammo because they {were} running short,” Wood said. “He didn’t talk about the war much, but he was proud to fight for our country.”

Family, friends and state lawmakers attended a ceremony on Wednesday to rename a portion of Rutledge Pike between mile marker 36 to mile marker 37 in Knox County as ‘PFC Glenn Paul Wood Memorial Mile.’

“Identify a section of a road or a bridge that is available, that has significance to the person being honored,” Tennessee State Senator Becky Massey said.

Wood told us the project has been in the works for nearly a year.

“My nephew really worked hard trying to get that bronze star, but because the sergeant had been killed, he couldn’t. So he got working on this project,” Wood said.

Tennessee State Representative Dave Wright believes memorials like this one help people remember what’s most valuable in life.

“These memorials, these remembrances get out in the community so that we know what is important and where we need to have focus in the future,” Wright said.

Wood said this memorial will serve as a daily reminder of the bravery his dad possessed.

“My heart is just overwhelmed with joy, I live just two miles up the road here, so I’ll be passing this everyday,” Wood said. “Everyday I pass it, I guarantee you there will be a big smile on my face because I was always proud of my dad.”

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