Bill to create memorial highway honoring Master Sergeant Nicole Amor passes unanimously in Minnesota House, Senate

The Minnesota House and Senate unanimously passed a bill on Monday to rename a portion of a highway in Ramsey County after Master Sergeant Nicole Amor.

Nicole Amor, a 39-year-old mother of two from White Bear Lake, was killed in an attack by an unmanned aircraft system at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, the day after the U.S. and Israel launched a massive military operation in Iran. She had served in the military for more than 20 years, and was just days away from returning home.

The bill designates the portion of Highway 96 between Highway 61 and Interstate 35 East as "Master Sergeant Nicole Amor Memorial Highway." It also directs the county commissioner to allocate funds to design, erect and maintain signs to mark the memorial highway. 

The legislation heads to Gov. Tim Walz's desk for signature.

Nicole Amor's friends and family members have described her as a "rock" whose "dedication and spirit will always be remembered and carried on. 

Her husband Joey Amor says he plans to build a greenhouse in her honor, because she loved to garden. 

"It was a calming place for her," Joey Amor said. "She loved watching what it turned into…and it always took on a life of its own."

Five other service members were killed in the attack on March 1, which also left more than 20 wounded. Members of the targeted unit have disputed the Pentagon's account of the attack, saying the unit was "unprepared to provide any defense for itself. It was not a fortified position."