§ 346-a. System of state thruways to be designated as a section of a national network of Blue Star memorial highways. The state thruways, collectively, provided for by this article, shall be designated as the New York state section of a national network of Blue Star memorial highways, as a living memorial and tribute to those men and women who served in the nation's armed forces in world wars I and II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam conflict, the Grenadan conflict, the Lebanese conflicts, the Panamanian conflict and the Persian Gulf War known as Operation Desert Shield - Operation Desert Storm. Such designation shall not be considered as an official name for said thruways.