Coming up on Kentucky Life... We look back at a few stories from past seasons to highlight the service of Kentucky veterans.

We look at a program in Louisville that helps veterans with PTSD through the healing power of music and dance.

We'll visit and uncover the history of Camp Nelson, a Union Station from the Civil War.

And we go along as Honor Flight Kentucky hosts its first all-female veterans flight to Washington, DC.

All that's next on Kentucky Life.

Hey, everybody and welcome to a special episode of Kentucky Life as we celebrate Veterans Day with a group of stories from past seasons of our show.

I'm your host, Chip Polston.

And what better place to present these stories than the General George Patton Museum in Fort Knox, Kentucky.

The Patton Museum is free and open to the public.

Now it holds a collection of vehicles and items from America's military history.

But did you know that each summer, thousands of ROTC cadets from across the country assemble here at Fort Knox for the single largest training program in the United States Army and the cadets learn important lessons in the leadership through the stories housed here at the Patton Museum Really is a fascinating place.

And if you're ever in the area, we encourage you to stop by and take a look.

But right now let's check out our first story.

A little while back, our Kentucky Life crew traveled to Louisville to give you a look into Dancing Well: The Soldier Project.

This program assists veterans with PTSD along with their families through live music and choreographed dance.

Let's check it out.

Deborah Denenfeld: Welcome again to Dancing Well.

I'm really glad you're here tonight.

And even if you're not going to dance, it'd be great if we could at least see you and meet you.

Kimberly Pelle: Dancing Well is a group of individuals that gather together once a week to dance with veterans that have traumatic brain injuries, small disabilities, and also PTSD.

Deborah Denenfeld: Dancing Well's mission is to uplift veterans who are suffering from PTSD or brain injury and to also include and uplift their spouses, children, and other significant others in their life who are indirectly affected every single day.

Kimberly Pelle: It is a set of dances.

It's a cross between, maybe square dancing and old English dancing, folk dancing.

Something like you would see in "Gone with the Wind," a choreographed dance whereby you don't just dance with your partner, you dance with multiple partners.

Deborah Denenfeld: The dance moves themselves are modified for the lowest functioning person on the floor.

So as the dance leader, I am watching carefully to see how is everybody doing.

The goal is that at the end of every dance, every person will feel that they succeeded.

We provide this very caring and safe community where people feel that they belong.

Kimberly Pelle: When we first arrive, we sign in and then a red ribbon is placed around our right wrist.

And that helps those that have a TBI and those of us that sometimes can't quickly tell our left hand from our right hand, which is our right.

We mix and mingle for a little while welcoming each other.

And then Deb calls us up to dance.

And I'm gonna tell you, some people are on the floor waiting on Deb to call us up to dance, they're that excited to get started.

Deborah Denenfeld: The Dancing Well program is not therapy.

I am not a therapist.

This is a recreational and social activity that helps people to feel connected to others.

We look at ourselves as an adjunct to their therapy and their healing process.

We started by working with active duty military at Fort Knox.

There was a psychiatrist who worked there, Edwin Walker, and he knew about some research that had been done that showed that people who learned to play guitar, had their memories improve.

Many of his clients were soldiers who had PTSD or brain injury and had lost some of their memory.

He knew about traditional dance, in particular contra dance, which is a kind of American folk dance.

And he thought perhaps a few evenings of contra dance would help his clients' memories.

I am a regional contra dance caller and he approached me about calling for these dances.

Calling is the term for leading the dances.

We actually give instruction as the dance is going on.

We held that program in 2011.

When those 10 sessions ended, people who had participated reported to me that their lives had really improved drastically.

Depression had gone down, anxiety had gone down.

They had improved self esteem, improved relationships with loved ones.

They even reported a 50% reduction in physical pain level.

Right after that series ended, Dr. Walker left his employment at Fort Knox.

So we just let the whole thing go and thought that was the end of it.

But about a year later, I decided I really wanted to pursue this again.

So, in 2014, we held the first dances of Dancing Well: The Soldier Project and we've been holding them ever since.

The veterans that we have attracted to the program vary in gender and they also vary in age.

Kimberly Pelle: You'll see husbands with their wives, with their children.

They'll bring a friend.

You'll see people like me that come alone.

Not everybody knows who's the veteran in the crowd and who's the loved one in the crowd.

In the end that really doesn't matter.

We're there to support each other, dance, have fun, and be a community.

Deborah Denenfeld: Roosevelt has been with Dancing Well since the very beginning.

He came to the first dance that we held in 2014 and has been a huge supporter ever since.

He said, "I'm on 23 medications and it's this dancing that really helps."

Roosevelt Smith: I suffer from PTSD, bipolar.

Basically, I have a mental illness.

I got involved with the program because I was basically going nowhere.

So, this was a chance to get out into the public and do something for a change, that I can get out there and release.

The more that I release, the more that I talk about it, the more that stigma of me being crazy, it becomes less, less, and less.

I believe with Dancing Well, my other treatment and my big support system, my family, I think all of that works together to push me up even more and anything that will help me elevate my family is very, very grateful for.

We're not in this battle alone.

We don't have to be a one man island.

We can come together as one.

And when we can find out that, hey, just a circle to the left, circle to the right, even by ourselves, can bring us joy and a smile on our face.

Male Speaker: No.

Female Speaker: Come on.

That's what it's all about.

Our next story takes us to Camp Nelson in Jessamine County, a Union Army supply depot and a training and recruitment center.

At its peak the camp covered more than 4,000 acres and included some 300 buildings.

And when our Kentucky Life team visited, archaeologists there were still uncovering glimpses of its past.

Let's take a look.

Peggy McClintock-Pauli: I've always loved history.

It's things that we can learn from that make us who we are.

And it's the stories of the people and the lives that were changed in the relationships that were developed here.

It's the awesome power of courage and just wanting to obtain something.

And we all want to obtain something in our lives and this was thousands of people who came here to obtain their freedom.

Dr. Stephan: Camp Nelson was a US Army supply depot, a recruitment camp and hospital during the American Civil War.

We were one of the largest recruitment and training centers for African American soldiers, who were called during the war United States Colored Troops, and then we were also a large refugee home for their wives and children.

Peggy McClintock-Pauli: It initially was put here as a supply depot and training center for US white troops only.

They were not enlisting the African American men until 1864.

So it transitioned in that one year then from all white soldiers to dominant of the USCT, US Colored Troops.

Dr. Stephen: The supply aspect is significant because it helped the US Army supply their men and win a number of battles in what was known at that time as the Western Theater.

And the African American story is incredibly significant because it really helped destroy slavery in Kentucky, if not in the South in general.

They kept it open after the war was over to continue to enlist African American soldiers, particularly to emancipate them and their wives and children.

There were around 300 buildings here during the 1863 to 1866 period when the camp was here.

Peggy McClintock-Pauli: Larger than a small city, it had a higher population than Louisville and Lexington combined for that same period, because you had civilians working here, over 3,000 civilians working here.

In the end you had over 3,000 family members living here that were emancipated.

You have between 8,000 and 10,000 soldiers, going through here and being garrisoned here from various times.

So, that's why it had a high population.

Dr. Stephen: The archaeology we've done has been on a variety of different sites that had different functions, but one of the other surprising discoveries we made when we were working at the William Berkley sutler store is, adjacent to that, we found a photograph gallery which was not documented.

We discovered it through photography, artifacts, including mats and preservers and cover plates that went with cased photographs.

In about 20 seconds.

Starting now... 2001, in the Civil War era, there were ferrotypists or tintypists and ambrotypists who followed the soldiers.

So they would set up in tents, a special tent that actually had a skylight and a little section in the back where they could process their plates.

And the soldiers would spend their money on these things.

They would buy an image, they would send it through the mail.

They were eve called letter graphs sometimes because they didn't break, they would bend, it's a thin sheet of metal, but they would survive the trip.

In the era if you were having a tintype made, the cheapest one was, was one about the size of count of an inch, about the size of a calling card and it would be put in a paper envelope.

The more expensive ones would be put into cases, as you would with an ambrotype or a daguerreotype.

So fancier case, little gold plated mats and what they call a preserver.

A photographer who was traveling and who was producing a product and would have to put that into a case would have a supply of cases.

They would also have a supply of these foil mats and metal stampings that are usually brass that are gilded.

They're gold plated to make them shinier.

Dr. Stephen: And these brass artifacts and the glass cover plate are the things we've been finding archaeologically.

We also found that at the same site they were making brass stencils and these were artifacts that the soldiers would use to mark their personal possessions.

Those artifacts along with the photographs really speak to this identity change that took place with the soldiers Mark Osterman: Having your photograph taken was actually a pretty important thing.

People didn't have pictures taken as often as they do today.

It was an event to have your picture taken.

And many in the Civil War, probably the only picture that had ever been taken of them was a tintype that they sent home.

Dr. Stephen: And with the African American soldiers, it was even more dramatic, from going to an enslaved person to a free person to a free soldier.

We were really excited about discovering who the photographer was and how we did this was we found two stencils, actually three stencils.

One was hard to read and it said CJ Young and we think that after that it said Esquire was in abbreviation.

But then we found this well-preserved stencil that said CJ Young Artist and that really got us going thinking, who is this person?

So we actually got on the internet and looked at the census and found a photographer that lived in Lexington after the Civil War and then later in Hamilton in Cincinnati, Ohio, named Cassius Jones Young.

And we actually also found him in the census earlier in Lexington when he was a teenager living in the household of a photographer.

So he may have been an apprentice then.

The average person did not do photography.

It was a skilled trade and it was all about making money.

There were amateurs who did it on their own for fun.

But for the most part, most photography was done by professionals to make money.

Dr. Stephen: But with soldiers, I think it was particularly in demand because they wanted to get a picture of themselves to send back to their loved ones, to show them this new status that they had, but also in case they didn't come back.

Peggy McClintock-Pauli: That whole area and a lot of that information was found by mistake.

They didn't know it was there.

And you think of so many things like that that are so important to people that you really have to do your scratching here and there.

But to go back and find those tintypes and to find those pieces of a person's life that recorded them now.

We wanna make our place in history and that person's place is saved.

It's history, living history.

In the summer of 2022, Honor Flight Kentucky organized its first all-female veteran flight to Washington, DC.

A trip for a group of Kentucky veterans who are often overlooked, visiting the monuments and memorials built to honor those who sacrificed so much for their fellow countrymen.

Our Kentucky Life crew was afforded the opportunity to travel with them on this special day.

On June 11th, 2022, 134 women veterans gathered for breakfast at Blue Grass Airport.

The beginning of the first all-female veterans trip organized by Honor Flight Kentucky.

Honor Flight's mission is to fly veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War to DC for a one day, all expenses paid trip to visit the memorials dedicated to their service.

We decided we needed an all-female flight because, first of all, it's never been done before in Kentucky, but women deserved that special event to bond with each other in this multigenerational trip to honor their service.

Margaret Logan: I sat at a table and there were eight of us, different services all around.

And there was 130 years combined service to the military for Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, in eight people, which was pretty impressive.

Chip Polston: Headed to their plane, these veterans of different generations and conflicts were greeted by members of Rolling Thunder, longtime supporters of Honor Flight, holding an American flag high overhead as a send off for these women.

Stachia Davis: Touching that flag, the music playing, you feel that tradition in your heart.

All of the memories come back to why we were here, what was our rationale for joining the military.

To support and serve our country no matter what.

Female Speaker: Hi.

Chip Polston: Smiles and joy turned to somber moments for veterans like Ashley Hawkins of Harrodsburg.

In Iraq, Hawkins earned a bronze star with valor and what would become known as the Palm Sunday Ambush when her 9-member unit was called on to hold off over 50 insurgents attacking an American convoy.

As their flight left the terminal, it received a water cannon salute and the voices of these 134 veterans filled the plane.

♪ Of the brave ♪ [all cheering] Chip Polston: Patriotic singing continued as the group was greeted at Reagan Airport by the West Point Glee Club.

Chip Polston: The first stop for these veterans was the Women's Memorial for Military Service dedicated at Arlington Cemetery in 1997.

Each would receive a plaque inducting them into the museum.

Ashley Bruggeman: So, we inducted every single one of them into the Women's Memorial for Military Service in Arlington.

One of the memorials that is dedicated solely to female service.

I think that was very special for them.

Chip Polston: Following lunch was a solemn moment for all veterans as it is with all Americans, the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

[trumpet playing] This special Honor Flight would visit the World War II Memorial and then it was on to the Lincoln Memorial while appreciating all the hours Ashley Bruggeman and her organization of volunteers had put into their trip, everyone was overwhelmed at how at every stop there were groups greeting and honoring these women who had served their country.

Male Speaker: Thanks for your service.

Welcome.

It almost makes you want to cry because it's so truly emotional to see the people that care so much to be right there in front of you.

All the other veteran standing and supporting you.

Chip Polston: Flanking the famed reflecting pool extending before Abraham Lincoln are memorials to those who served in Korea and Vietnam.

Many on this Honor Flight remember what their service meant to them and to others.

Carolyn Furdek: I always look back on my service and look at all the amazing things I got to do.

You know, I got to build schools for girls that got to enjoy those schools for 20 years.

And what I hope to believe is that those girls in Afghanistan, there is 20 years of education for those women right there.

Chip Polston: Perhaps the most moving moment of the day was a wreath-laying ceremony at the statue dedicated to the nurses who served in Vietnam.

The names of eight nurses are etched forever on the wall.

Frankie Zalaznik of Lexington was a nurse in Vietnam who found herself crawling under enemy fire across her medical compound to get to wounded soldiers needing her help.

Along with fellow Kentuckians, Marj Graves and Cathy Grumbeck, they remembered the legacy of the women who put their lives in harm's way.

All my Vietnam friends who are no longer alive, all the men we took care of, they didn't make it.

It didn't hit me until they asked.

I had to hold myself together.

Cathy Moore: I think we're the only two here that's from our units.

For me to get to be a part of that and watch Frankie take the wreaths to the Vietnam memorial and being able to kind of share in her memories too.

It was nice to be able to be a part of that.

Chip Polston: This Honor Flight had one last stop, the Marine Memorial of Iwo Jima, where they were greeted by a 21-gun salute.

[gunfire] Again, it was a moment that connected each veteran with all the women who had worn our country's uniform.

It's been the most amazing, well-planned, thoughtful day ever.

I spent most of my military career alone and I've been able to spend it amongst all these amazing women with their own amazing stories and just it's been overwhelmingly fabulous.

Chip Polston: Back on the plane after a 15-hour trip, this all-female flight would have one more welcome.

Upon disembarking at Blue Grass terminal, they found it filled with a cheering crowd, thanking them for their service and saying, welcome home.

Ashley Bruggeman: Their comments afterwards were that they weren't even welcomed home like that when they returned from deployments.

And so it was the -- it sealed the deal for the day in letting them know that they are appreciated and that their service mattered.

Thank you so much for joining us on this Veterans Day weekend.

We're just delighted to be able to share and tell these stories with you.

We'd also like to thank all the great folks at the General George Patton Museum for hosting us here today.

Now, if you'd like to learn more about the museum, be sure to like the Kentucky Life Facebook page or you can subscribe to the KET YouTube channel for more Kentucky Life extras where you'll learn about this amazing facility and have access to lots of other great videos as well.

And if you're a veteran, thank you for your service.

Until next time, I'll leave you with this moment.

I'm Chip Polston, cherishing this Kentucky life.