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'It's the POW/MIA interchange, too:' Major Bobby Jones' sister doesn't want to share name with David Lucas

Bibb County commissioners are discussing a possible name change for the I-16, I-75 interchange and adding state senator David Lucas' name next to that of Vietnam Veteran Major Bobby Jones.

Joanne Shirley remembers her brother Air Force Major Bobby Jones as always having fun. 

Bobby, an aspiring doctor, was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War at 27.

"He understood the sacrifices he was going to be making," said Shirley. 

His plane was struck down, but his body was never found. 36 years later, they found his blood chit, which is a piece of cloth to help identify fallen soldiers.

RELATED: VERIFY: Can the Bobby Jones Interchange name be changed?

"You couldn't even see the number on there anymore," said Shirley. 

For the last 46 years, she's dedicated her time helping other POW/MIA families, one of the best memories the designation of her brother's interchange in 1999.

"It's not just about Bobby, it's the POW/MIA interchange, too," said Shirley. 

About a month ago, Commissioner Larry Schlesinger put forth a proposal to name the interchange after Senator David Lucas, but after figuring out it was already named for Bobby Jones, he removed it from the agenda. At the last meeting, Commissioner Elaine Lucas says she was to revisit the topic, suggesting they could add Senator Lucas' name onto the interchange.

RELATED: I-75/I-16 interchange name change pulled from Bibb Commission schedule

Shirley says the idea that commissioners would change the interchange to include someone else would take away from reminding people of other POW/MIAs and their families.

"We just got a notice about one World War II soldier we've identified and one from Korea, and when I tell mother that, you can just see her perk up, and they never know that could happen," said Shirley. 

Shirley says her mother, now 102, prays every day they find her son. 

Until then, little reminders like the bell at Riverside United Methodist Church dedicated to Bobby or the intersection, Shirley says helps keep the government responsible to continue to search until every soldier returns home.

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