Section of Highway 33 to be named in Black Hawk Down veteran’s honor
SAUK COUNTY, Wis. — A section of Highway 33 in between Portage and Baraboo is set to be named after Staff Sergeant Dan Busch.
Busch sustained fatal injuries after the Black Hawk helicopter, Super 61, was shot down in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993. The scene showing what happened can be found in this 60 Minutes segment.
State Representative Dave Considine is bringing the bill that will dedicate the section of Highway 33 to the Capitol for signatures Thursday.
“We don’t give enough attention to the heroes of the last few generations and he is definitely one of them,” Considine said.
Busch is a silver star hero and purple heart recipient, who his family said touched many lives.
“I grew up with him,” said Busch’s cousin Brian Wheeler. “We spent a lot of time in the summers hunting, trapping and fishing. He was my best friend. That’s what made it so difficult when I finally accepted he wasn’t coming back.”
Wheeler said he thinks about Busch every day. In the footage that shows Super 61 crashing down, you can see him during his final moments as a hero.
“If it wasn’t for Dan’s actions, the five members on the helicopter would have never survived,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler said he is always looking for new ways to keep Busch’s memory alive. Wheeler believes having Highway 33 dedicated to him will do that in more ways than one.
The first reason is that Wheeler and Busch used to go hunting in the section that will be renamed. The second reason is because Busch is buried in the Welsh Church Cemetery along that stretch of Highway 33.
“My grandparents and a lot of our family members are in that cemetery,” Wheeler said.
The third reason is Busch’s mom lives along that stretch of highway.
“He said he didn’t think he would be coming back and I said, ‘Yes, you will be coming back.’ And he didn’t,” said Busch’s mom, Ginny Johnson.
While Johnson never got to see her son come back home, she will get to see that sign put up honoring Busch. Johnson said it is an “absolute honor” to have a sign put up showing just how much others can give back to a man who gave his own life fighting for this country.
“That was Danny. He was always there, ready and willing to help,” Johnson said.
“This will be this way forever,” Wheeler said. “Nobody can take that away from him or anybody.”
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