A sign on Interstate 55 honors Staff Sgt. Brad Skelton's sacrifice for his country.

Skelton went through life with a grin on his face and an unshakable loyalty for his family, friends and country in his heart, according to one of the soldier's closest comrades.

Skelton had an "unbelievable knack" for one liners, with the timing of a seasoned comedian, friend and former fellow soldier Ross Gartman said.

But beyond the wise cracks and his "oddball" humor, Skelton was "literally a shirt-off-his-back kind of guy," Gartman said.

Ross Gartman, president of Heroes Way, told the crowd at the Veterans Day Ceremony at Missouri State Veterans Cemetery about his friend who was the inspiration for Heroes Way. In July 2009, the State of Missouri passed the Heroes Way Bill, formally known as the "Heroes Way Interstate Inter-change Designation Program," which allows relatives of Missourians who died in combat during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom to ask that an interstate interchange or a section of a state highway be named in the soldier's honor.