Memorial ceremonies and services honor the sacrifice of military members who have died and offer support to unit survivors and family members. These memorial events assist survivors and family members in dealing with the realities of death by allowing them a means for expressing their grief, receiving condolences, and beginning the healing process. The KYNG memorial was created as a sacred space to conduct such memorial services and commemorations, and to ensure service members who died in the line of duty shall not be forgotten.

It shall be the policy of the Kentucky National Guard Memorial Board of Directors to include names on the Memorial of all KYNG service members who, from 9 March 1912 to present, perish In the Line of Duty (ILOD), regardless of the cause and manner of death.

Nominations for the names of deceased KYNG service members to be included on the Kentucky National Guard Memorial may be submitted by any member or former member of the KYNG, the deceased’s Next of Kin (NOK), other family members if immediate NOK are deceased, or any member of the Board of Directors.

Nominations should be submitted to info@kyngmemorial.com or by mail to:

Kentucky National Guard Memorial Fund, Inc.
Attn: Nominations
P.O. Box 5466
Frankfort, KY 40602-5466

Please include any/all of the following information to substantiate the nomination:

(1) Complete name, rank, and age of deceased service member.
(2) Service number or social security number.
(3) Dates of service.
(4) Home of record (city, county, state).
(5) Date and location of birth.
(6) Date and location of death.
(7) Location where service member is buried or interred.
(8) Last unit of assignment.
(9) DD Form 214 and/or NGB Form 22, if available, supporting the service member’s military service.
(10) DD Form 1300 (Report of Casualty) or in the case of a Dual Status Technician’s death Form CA-6 (Official Superior's Report of Employee's Death).
(11) Line-of-Duty determination.
(12) Narrative describing the military service and circumstances surrounding the death of the service member. Provide as much information as possible regarding the circumstances of the service member’s death.
(13) Newspaper articles and/or media reports, if available, describing the service and/or death of the service member. Newspaper accounts alone may be acceptable if no official military documentation can be found; and
(14) Photos of the service member that may be published on the virtual memorial website. Electronic and/or physical photos of the deceased must be received with the permission of the owner and/or NOK, as appropriate. Photos received that are in the public domain may be used without permission unless the photos are copyrighted.

For those who do not have the appropriate documentation, every effort will be made to assist them in locating sources for the information needed to make a determination. Newspaper accounts alone may be acceptable in some circumstances if no other military documentation can be found.

Service members are eligible to have their names engraved on the Monument if the deceased served in the KYNG from 9 March 1912 to present and was serving in an active status at the time of their death, or their death occurred within one year from wounds received in combat, or a traumatic injury, illness, or disease was incurred or aggravated while in that status and death was determined ILOD by the command.

This includes—

a. Any member who died while on title 32 USC status such as Annual Training, Drill, Additional Flight Training, AGR, or dual status Technician duty status.

b. Any member who died while on State Active Duty (SAD) status.

c. Any member who was mobilized directly from the KYNG to title 10 USC Active Duty and who died while in that status.

d. Any member who dies while traveling directly to or from that duty or training (unless such death is the result of the gross negligence or misconduct of the member); or

e. Any member who dies while remaining overnight immediately before the commencement of Inactive-Duty Training (IDT), or while remaining overnight, between successive periods of IDT, at or in the vicinity of the site of the inactive-duty training.

f. Death by suicide when determined ILOD by the command.

The following circumstances presume the service member was convicted of the following crimes then died while serving their sentence in a military prison or avoided prosecution by causing their own death. Deceased service members are ineligible to be included on the Memorial if —

a. They were convicted of a federal or state capital crime and may receive a sentence of imprisonment for life or the death penalty—and the conviction is final; or

b. The service member was convicted of certain sex offenses; or

c. The service member was convicted of subversive or treasonous activities; or

d. Clear and convincing evidence shows that the deceased service member committed a federal or state capital crime, but they evaded prosecution and sentencing by causing their own death— e.g., murder-suicide incident.