The first American Indian woman killed in combat while fighting for U.S. forces has been honored by the state of Arizona, which named a freeway in her honor, The Arizona Daily Star reported recently.

State Route 51 in Phoenix, formerly called Squaw Peak Parkway, will be renamed Piestewa Parkway in honor of slain Hopi soldier Lori Piestewa, who was killed in combat less than two months ago during the Iraq War, the Arizona Department of Transportation said in a statement.

The Star reported that State Transportation Board member S.L. "Si" Schorr called for the renaming because the freeway’s previous name was considered offensive by many American Indians.

His proposal came in the wake of a decision by the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names to change the name of Squaw Peak, for which the highway was named, to Piestewa Peak.

Piestewa, an Army private first class, was a resident of Tuba City, AZ, a small town in north central Arizona.