State Rep. Gary Day, R-187th, is seeking to have a section of Route 309 North in Lynn Township named the Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Van Parys Memorial Road.

Day led the state House March 31 in passing House Bill 88 to designate the roadway between Northwest Road and Long Court and Mosserville Road and Mountain Road after the fallen Marine.

Similar legislation passed the state House last fall but did not clear the Senate before the session ended.

Van Parys was killed Feb. 5, 2007 by a rocket-propelled grenade in Anbar province, Iraq.

At the time, his unit was attempting to secure an area along the Euphrates River.

A 2005 graduate of Northwestern Lehigh High School, he was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

"Brandon was a true patriot, being motivated to join the Marines by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks," Day said. "That makes him a very special person indeed.

"The fact that we lost him at such a young age and that he died for his country only underscores the importance of the freedom and democracy we hold dear.

"I am hopeful this road naming will allow us to forever remember Brandon and the ultimate sacrifice he paid."

Van Parys is survived by his father Alan and his stepmother Tammy; his mother Catherine Hearn and her husband, Gregory; his brothers, Christopher and Daniel Van Parys, Samuel and Jesse Hearn; and his sister Ashley Hearn.

"In my conversations with local veterans for the past 20-plus years, the designations and remembrances mean something, especially when we name a highway or bridge for a fallen member of our military," Day said. "These designations mean we care, that we honor the men and women who have made that ultimate sacrifice, and we acknowledge their contributions and believe future generations should as well.

"For years to come, whenever anyone, motor-ist or passenger, sees that sign, they may not know who the soldier was, but they will know he or she died for our country they died for their freedom."

The legislation now goes to the Senate.