The Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame selected 29 Kentucky military veterans for induction into the Hall of Fame later this year. Chosen for their post-military community service, inductees served in various military conflicts including the Korean War, Somalia, Vietnam and The Global War on Terror. For the first time in the organization’s history, the class contains no World War II veterans.
KVHOF will honor the nominees at three events, all held at Embassy Suites/UK Coldstream in Lexington. Continuing tradition, the class will be introduced August 8 in a program featuring Team FastraxTM Professional Skydiving Team. The Grand Gala Dinner September 8 is an evening of military fellowship and patriotic music, spotlighting each inductee’s military service. Their community service will be highlighted in the formal induction ceremony held the morning of September 9th. All events are open to the public.
“This year we had a record number of nominees and competition was fierce,” said Terry Vannarsdale, KVHOF Director of Nominations/Processing.
H.B. Deatherage of Florence, KVHOF Founder and Executive Director, said. “I’m pleased to see so many nominations from around the commonwealth. Kentucky is home to over 250,000 military veterans; I hope people who know worthy candidates will submit applications to the Hall of Fame.” Nomination guidance is available at www.kyveterans.org and applications are accepted year round.
An official Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame plaque bearing inductee names will join earlier class plaques permanently displayed in the Frankfort, Kentucky Capitol building, in the first-floor hall near the Secretary of State’s office. The names will also be added to regional KVHOF monuments placed around Kentucky. To date, KVHOF has honored over 250 veterans from 53 Kentucky counties, covering multiple conflicts and eras since World War I, representing the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.
Class of 2023 inductees to the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame are:
• Sergeant Robert Bacon, U.S. Army, Boone County (Desert Shield/Desert Storm)
Lieutenant Colonel Judith April Brown, U.S. Army, Fayette County (Global War on Terror)
• Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jeremy Camron, U.S. Navy, Daviess (War on Terror)
Electronics Warfare Technician Douglas Carter, Sr., U.S. Navy, Fayette County (Cold War)
• Sergeant Brent Casey, U.S. Army, Jefferson County (Desert Shield/Desert Storm)
• Captain Kathleen Cornelius, U.S. Army, Hardin County (Peacetime)
• Sergeant LeRoy Dale, U.S. Air Force, Jessamine County (Vietnam Era)
• Sergeant Robert Douglas, U.S. Marine Corps, Kenton County (Vietnam)
• Master Sergeant Louis Drawdy, U.S. Marine Corps, Daviess County (Vietnam)
• Staff Sergeant Douglas Foster, U.S. Army, Jefferson County (Vietnam)
• Sergeant Ronnie French, U.S. Marine Corps, Mason County (Vietnam)
• Command Sergeant Major William Gay, U.S. Army/U.S. Marine Corps, Fayette County (Vietnam)
• Master Sergeant James Goodall, U.S. Army, Daviess County (Cold War, Desert Storm)
• Staff Sergeant Jasper Hatter, U.S. Air Force, Kenton County (Korean War)
• Lieutenant Colonel Floyd Houston, U.S. Marine Corps, Edmonson County (Somalia)
• Brigadier General Howard Hunt III, U.S. Air Force, Boyle County (Gulf War/Desert Storm/War on Terror)
• Lieutenant Colonel Keith Jackson, U.S. Army, Jefferson County, (Iraq)
• Command Sergeant Major Willie Lee, Jr., U.S. Army, Hardin County (Vietnam)
• Specialist 4 Ronald Logan, U.S. Army, Fayette County (Vietnam)
• Colonel Susan Perry-Lindle, U.S. Army, Kenton County (War on Terror)
• Specialist 4, David Morgan, U.S. Army, Fayette County (Cold War)
• Specialist 4, Leonard Neal, U.S. Army, Fayette County (Vietnam)
• Captain Jerry Rhoads, U.S. Army, Daviess County (Cold War/Vietnam Era)
• Staff Sergeant Glenn Skeens, U.S. Marine Corps, Daviess County (Gulf War)
• Sergeant Barry Smith, U.S. Army, Breckinridge County (Vietnam)
• Petty Officer Third Class John Thurston, U.S. Navy, Fayette County (Vietnam)
• Technical Sergeant Michael Walker, U.S. Air Force, Jefferson County (Desert Storm/Desert Shield)
• Staff Sergeant Francis Wimsatt, U.S. Air Force, Jefferson County (Korean War)
• Corporal John Wright, U.S. Marine Corps, Jefferson County (Vietnam).
The Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization started in 2010 by Florence, KY businessman and Vietnam veteran H.B. Deatherage. Inductees are selected annually in the spring from nominations accepted year-round, with celebrations held in the host city of Lexington. Many inductees continue to volunteer throughout Kentucky and the nation. The KVHOF Alumni Association funds scholarships awarded annually to high school students related to inductees.
Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame
