Section 4. General Carl A. Spaatz Memorial Highway.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz was born in Boyertown, Berks County, on June 28, 1891.
(2) Drawn to aviation, after graduating from West Point in 1914 and being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry, Mr. Spaatz studied at the Aviation School at San Diego, California.
(3) Mr. Spaatz served with the 1st Aero Squadron as a first lieutenant under General John "Black Jack" Pershing during the Punitive Expedition into Mexico.
(4) After being promoted to captain in May 1917, Mr. Spaatz served in France with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I and, as a fighter pilot, shot down three German Fokker planes behind enemy lines, which earned him the Distinguished Service Cross.
(5) Mr. Spaatz was promoted to major on July 1, 1920, and during the interwar years he proceeded up the ranks of a peacetime Air Corps.
(6) Mr. Spaatz was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for commanding the refueling endurance flight of the Question Mark plane from January 1 through 7, 1929, during which the plane broke a record for sustained flight.
(7) After the United States entered into World War II, in 1942, Mr. Spaatz was named chief of the Air Force Combat Command and was sent to England to initiate the planning stages for the United States Army Air Forces in Europe.
(8) Later in 1942, Mr. Spaatz was named commander of the United States Army Air Forces in Europe.
(9) In 1943, Mr. Spaatz commanded the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa where his forces played a pivotal role in reducing Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps.
(10) In 1944, Mr. Spaatz returned to England and was named the commanding general of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe.
(11) In this role, Mr. Spaatz played a key role in Operation Overlord, more commonly known as D-Day, by directing the Allied aerial attacks covering the landings on the beaches of Normandy.
(12) Mr. Spaatz also commanded the strategic bombing of Germany.
(13) On March 11, 1945, Mr. Spaatz received a temporary promotion to general and later was named commander of the United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific where he supervised the final strategic bombings of Japan, including two atomic bomb missions.
(14) Mr. Spaatz was the only man of general rank or equivalent to attend all three surrender ceremonies that ended World War II.
(15) In 1946, Mr. Spaatz was named commander-in-chief of the Army Air Forces, and in 1947 he was named the first chief of staff of the newly independent United States Air Force.
(16) Mr. Spaatz retired from military service in 1948 and passed away on July 14, 1974.
(b) Designation.--The portion of State Route 562 in Berks County from the intersection with State Route 73 in the Borough of Boyertown to the intersection with State Route 662 at the township line between Amity Township and Oley Township is designated as the General Carl A. Spaatz Memorial Highway.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the highway to traffic in both directions on the highway.