The Kentucky National Guard’s annual Memorial Day observance will be held Monday, May 30th at 10 a.m. at the Kentucky National Guard Memorial in Frankfort.

Thirteen names will be added to the Memorial, which honors Kentucky National Guard men and women who died in the performance of duty, bringing the number of names on the Memorial to 286 men and women since 1912.  Of the new names being added, 11 died during World War I, one in 1935 during weekend training, and another in 2001 just prior to 9/11.

Those being added are:

·  1st Lieutenant Lyman E. Barnes, Jr,  25, of Hopkinsville, Christian County, died while serving on federal active duty of pneumonia in La Harve, France on Oct. 19, 1918, shortly after his unit – the 138th Field Artillery Regiment, 38th Division arrived in France.   

·  Staff Sergeant Michael W. Brame, 35, of Greenville, Muhlenberg County, died  of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident on Feb. 2, 2001, while returning to the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center after lunch on KY Hwy 181 at the Western Kentucky Parkway near the post. Staff Sgt. Brame was a full-time military technician working at the Unit Equipment Training Site #2 as a mechanic.  He was a 16-year veteran of the Kentucky Army National Guard. 

·  Private First Class Harry G. Brock, 21, of Sanders, Owen County, died while serving on federal active duty of an intestinal obstruction at Camp Zachary Taylor Hospital in Louisville, KY on Sep. 2, 1917.  PFC Brock was a member of Company L, 159th Infantry.

·  Corporal George T. Crum, 27, of  Louisville, Jefferson County, died while on federal active duty of pneumonia in Liverpool, England, Oct. 20, 1918.  Cpl. Crum was a member of Battery E, 138th Field Artillery Regiment.

·  Corporal David K. Gaither, 20, of Louisville, Jefferson County, died of injuries sustained in a military non-tactical motor vehicle accident 12 miles south of Elizabethtown on Dixie Hwy, Jan. 13, 1935, while in title 32 drill status.  Cpl. Gather was a member of Headquarters Battery, 63 Field Artillery Brigade.

·  Private James Gemble, 27, of Louisville, Jefferson County, died Dec.18, 1918 while serving on federal active duty of pneumonia in France.  Pvt. Gemble was a member of Battery F, 138th Field Artillery Regiment.

·  Private Henry W. Graham, 19, of Louisville, Jefferson County, died on Jul. 2, 2017, while serving on federal active duty of pyemia as a result of pneumonia in the Louisville City Hospital, Louisville, KY.  Pvt. Graham was a member of Company E, 1st Kentucky Infantry.

·  Private Joseph W. McCain, 18, of Louisville, Jefferson County, died Apr. 29, 2017,  at the Louisville City Hospital following emergency surgery for a rifle wound to the abdomen, the result of an accidental discharge in the Louisville Armory guard room sleeping quarters.  Pvt. McCain, a member of Company A, 1st Kentucky Infantry was serving on federal active duty at the time of his death.

·  Private Peter S. McGary, 28, of McQuady, Breckinridge County, died while on federal active duty of pneumonia in Liverpool, England, Oct. 22, 1918.  Pvt. McGary was a member of the Supply Company, 138th Field Artillery Regiment.

·  Private Louis B. Neagli, 21, of Louisville, Jefferson County, died May 14, 2017, at the Louisville City Hospital following emergency surgery for a rifle wound to his thigh, the result of an accidental discharge.  Pvt. Neagli, a member of Company I, 1st Kentucky Infantry was serving on federal active duty at the time of his death.

·  Sergeant Robert M. Rowlett, 28, of Winchester, Clark County, died Dec. 7, 2017, at the Camp Shelby Mississippi Hospital of spinal meningitis.  Sgt. Rowlett, a member of the 2nd Company Horse Section, 113th Ammunition Train was serving on federal active duty at the time of his death.

·  Private Charles F. Vandergrifft, 23, of Louisville, Jefferson County, died while on federal active duty of pneumonia in Liverpool, England, Oct. 16, 1918.  Pvt. Vandergrifft was a member of the Veterinary Detachment, 138th Field Artillery Regiment.

·  Private Walter Weck, 20, of Louisville, Jefferson County, died while on federal active duty of pneumonia in Liverpool, England, Oct. 19, 1918.  Pvt. Weck was a member of the Supply Company, 138th Field Artillery Regiment.

Each year the event conducted by the organizers of the Memorial Day ceremony highlight not only the service and sacrifices of all U.S. servicemembers who have perished in the line of duty, but emphasizes a special group or event associated with the Kentucky Nation Guard that resulted in its members being killed in the line of duty. 

This year’s Memorial Day ceremony will commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the five Kentucky Air National Guard crewmembers killed in Evansville, IN when their C-130B crashed during a training flight on Feb. 6, 1992.  This tragic event highlights the hazards military service members face while training day-to-day for their wartime mission and the cost to our military and local communities when National Guard members are killed in the performance of their duty.  

It is anticipated this event will be supported by a flyover of C-130s of the 165th Airlift Squadron, a unit of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123d Airlift Wing located in Louisville, KY of which the aircrew members that died were members of.  

The Kentucky National Guard Memorial is located at the entrance to Boone National Guard Center off the West Plaza Connector and next to Capital City Airport in Frankfort.

The event is free and open to the public.  Parking is located nearby.