BY LANCE GAITHER

lance.gaither@bluegrassnewsmedia.com

The veterans memorial at Millennium Park is undergoing restoration.

“The biggest thing we are doing right now is the concrete beneath the flag poles,” said memorial caretaker Jack Hendricks. “The white rock had been there about 15 years and needed to be replaced. The tank has been spot painted, but it will have a professional job done in the next month or so. We will also have new flowers put out for Memorial Day.”

The memorial got its start two decades ago when Henderson wanted to place an artillery piece at the courthouse memorial.

“When we started in 2002, we had to get through a lot of red tape,” said Hendricks. “Two years later, when we got through the red tape and the Army called me and said they didn’t have artillery piece but they had tank. We had to start looking for somewhere to put it because it was too big for the courthouse.”

When the location at the park was first suggested, Hendricks was a bit uncertain.

“I was afraid it was too secluded,” Hendricks said. “We got lights and cameras, it has been a great spot. We have plenty of room. It is a dedication to all of our veterans.”

Over 1,650 names ares of Boyle County veterans are on the wall. The front wall includes the names of 77 veterans that made the ultimate sacrifice.

“Thank God, we haven’t had to put any on there since Vietnam,” Hendricks said. “Most of them are from World War 1 and 2.”

New names are regularly added to the wall.

“I would love to put every veterans name on it but it has to be a Boyle resident because we don’t have room,” Hendricks said. “We have six names to add today. We have some folks out here, some of the vets and families out to honor their veteran. This is dedicated to all the Boyle County veterans and their families who made the sacrifices to put us where we are today. If it weren’t for our veterans we wouldn’t be here. If you see a vet thank them and remember that Memorial Day is to rememberer the veterans that gave all for this country.”

To have a name placed onto the memorial wall, contact Jack Hendricks at 859-494-3486.