Watch: Road Renamed For Sgt. Mark Smykowski

A section of Route 84 in Mentor has been renamed after Marine Sgt. Mark Smykowski, who died while serving his country.

The street signs commemorating Sgt. Mark T. Smykowski Memorial Highway were unveiled by his family Thursday afternoon.

Mentor native Smykowski died at the age of 23 after the Hummer in which he rode hit a roadside bomb in June 2006 in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.

In recognition of his sacrifice and service, Route 84 from Broadmoor to Chillicothe Road was renamed in his honor.

Mentor City Manager Kenneth Filipiak thanked the Smykowski family for his service.

"We're so proud that there are individuals like Mark who still step up and serve," he said.

In turn, Diana Ross, Smykowski's mother, thanked everyone for the gesture.

"We'll probably take this route more often," she said. "We really appreciate the community's support and all they did to help us through that very difficult time," Ross said.

The unveiling was filmed by Mentor TV and will be played during the City Council meeting Tuesday.

Smykowski was part of a group of seven graduates who joined the military just before and after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Called the Mentor Seven, they also included Brian Halan, Matthew Neath, Smykowski's younger brother Darren, Neath's younger brother Nathan, Nicholas Psenicnik and Joseph Lorek. All but Lorek had been teammates on the Mentor High hockey team who later honored .

Smykowski's youngest brother, Kenny, also joined the Marines later.