Jamestown is home to 382 people.

And in this tight-knit community, there is a special place for one hometown hero-one that will not be coming home anytime soon.

In an old cemetery a few miles outside of Jamestown a local hero rests eternally. His name is Leon B. Deraps.

Two years ago, at age 19, Deraps paid the ultimate sacrifice when he died in Iraq while defending his nation.

"Nobody hates war more than the guys who have to fight it," said Deraps' father, Dale. "It's a terrible thing, it's a terrible thing. But sometimes you have to stand for something, and Leon was there to stand for us."

Life is a path of twists and turns. Deraps' was cut short, but today it is being extended: over 21-thousand rolling feet of pavement's worth, to be exact. A four-mile stretch of State Route 87 in Moniteau County will forever be known as the Lance Corporal Leon B. Deraps Memorial Highway.

On Saturday, dozens of Deraps' admirers gathered to christen the two-lane stretch of road that the bravest of soldiers will now oversee.

"Today's ceremony, sad as this may be, allows Leon's dedication and sacrifice to be recognized and shared among those who will travel this route," said state senator Carl Vogel.

"Leon was one of those guys that didn't have an enemy. He was everybody's friend," said Brandon Cook, Deraps' long-time friend.

At the end of the ceremony, Duraps' mother Sandy returned to her son's nearby gravesite. Here they are both at peace. A weeping willow drooped over a bench near Deraps' grave as the crushing gravel beneath his mother's departing car broke the silence.

Here lies a sound son, bona fide Boy Scout, regimented marine and fortified friend: Leon B. Deraps, Jamestown's home-grown hero.