CORRYTON, Tenn. — East Tennessee lawmakers dedicated two sections of highways that run through Corryton in honor of fallen East Tennessee Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss.
Knauss' family, Sen. Becky Massey (R-Knoxville) and Rep. Dave Wright (R-Corryton) attended the naming ceremony on Monday afternoon at the Gibbs Ruritan Club on Tazewell Pike.
The segment of Tazewell Pike between Henegar Road and Gibbs Road as well as the segment of East Emory Road between Kerns Branch and Boruff Road have been dedicated as the "SSG Ryan C. Knauss Memorial Highway."
“We are tremendously proud of the service and bravery of Sergeant Ryan Knauss,” said Massey. “Though his life was cut way too short, he left a big impact on this community. He was a loving husband, son, and friend to many. It is very fitting that we can memorialize his life and service by naming this highway after him. From now on, when we drive the SSG Ryan C. Knauss Memorial Highway we can all honor and remember Sergeant Knauss and say prayer of gratitude for his life and service.”
"This is something important to do. It's something that is necessary. No one is to be forgotten, including Ryan," Paula Knauss, Ryan Knauss' mother, said.
Knauss was one of 13 service members to die in Afghanistan in an explosion outside Kabul's airport as the U.S. pulled military forces out of the country on August 26, 2021. The Army staff sergeant volunteered to help evacuate people from Afghanistan during a U.S. exit from that war that turned chaotic in the final days.
He graduated from Gibbs High School in 2016 before joining the military. His name was among those added this year to the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial in downtown Knoxville.