The Ohio House Transportation Committee has unanimously passed House Bill 350, which will dedicate a portion of state Route 44 between Mentor Avenue and Prouty Road as “Lance Corporal Austin B. Schwenk Memorial Highway.” The vote was recently announced by state Reps. Jamie Callender, R-Concord Township, and Daniel Troy, D-Willowick. Born in Onslow County, North Carolina, near Camp Lejeune on May 22, 2004, the 19-year-old Painesville Township resident and Riverside High School graduate enlisted in 2022 and returned to the base to serve in a unit weapons armory for the Infantry Unit Headquarters and Service Company Second Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment. Schwenk, awarded the National Defense Service Medal, trained to become an electro-optical ordnance repairer, “where he learned to fix ground ordnance lasers, night vision devices, and small missile and fire control equipment.” On October 18, 2023, he was shot and killed in a base barracks room at the facility in what service officials described as “an isolated incident between two Marines.” The suspect detained in the case, which remains under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, has not been publicly identified. Schwenk previously told The News-Herald that he chose to enlist in the Marines to follow in his father’s footsteps. “He’s always given me a reason to look up to him,” Schwenk stated, adding the Corps “….will give me the discipline and leadership that I believe I will be able to use later in my life.” Callender characterized Schwenk as a proud son of Lake County who stepped up to answer the call of his country. “Dedicating part of Route 44 is a fitting memorial to his courage and commitment to serve others,” he said. Troy added, “I am hopeful that the General Assembly will support this effort to honor the memory of Lance Cpl. Schwenk for his service to our nation, which was so tragically cut short.” House Bill 350 now heads to the House floor for a vote.