Federal Interstate Highway I-35 was declared a living memorial honoring the 35th Infantry Division by the Kansas Legislature and Governor under K.S.A. 68-1013, enacted June 30, 1963. The 35th Infantry Division, composed principally of Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska National Guard troops, served with distinction in both World Wars. Organized on August 5, 1917, and disbanded on March 31, 1963, the division is also memorialized in Europe for its World War I service in the Vosges Mountains, St Mihel, and the Meuse-Argonne, and for being in position for the recapture of Verdun when the armistice was signed. In World War II, it landed in Normandy, participated in capturing St. Lo, and was selected as the spearhead infantry division to accompany units of the Third United States Army in the 1600 mile combat dash across France through the campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe; by the end of the war, it was one of the most advanced divisions in the American Army and nearest to Berlin.