In today’s sports and celebrity-obsessed society, we toss the label of hero around far too casually. But, sometimes, it just fits.

If all goes as it should, Burlington-Macedonia Road in South Point will soon be renamed to honor Theodore Uland “Tuc” Church.

Church’s story is a well-known one, but inspiring just the same.

A soldier with the 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, the 32-year-old Lawrence County native was killed during the Memorial Day 2007 holiday while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The helicopter the chief warrant officer was piloting was shot down during a firefight, but his actions earned him the Purple Heart and Bronze Star posthumously.

An honor of this nature should be an easy decision but there is a minimum wait of 21 days before the name of the road can be changed in order to allow the county engineer to place a public notice in the newspaper, hold a public viewing and a public hearing.

At the hearing, individuals can speak for or against the change, something we hope doesn’t happen. Then the commissioners must vote on the measure, an approval that appears to be a foregone conclusion.

No gesture can ever repay Church for his bravery or ease the pain for his family, but this is certainly a positive gesture.