Last Saturday, Kentucky Marine Corps veterans honored one of their legendary servicemen.

Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon was the first American to raise a U.S. flag over foreign soil in time of war.

He had been called on by President Thomas Jefferson to take on pirates in the Mediterranean Sea.

CD brings you to his resting place and Frankfort.

And not only was it a great place, and I'm sure he did a great job as a captain in the Army, but he was also in politics in Kentucky.

So I am honored to wear this uniform when I come just to represent him.

And many times I come over and stand at his grave and we have a word or two, just a friendly.

And I.

President Obama was the first to deliver our Marines on foreign soil and to take casualties and to win a victory, and they want a great victory.

He takes his seven Marines and, I think it was 11 countries volunteers.

And they come with camels and donkeys cross that desert.

And it was it was freezing cold at night and above 100 degrees in the daytime.

One thing about his time in the desert when he was doing this journal, I'd say printed conglomerate.

The cost was a mixture of Muslims and Christians who just live in different country people.

Can you imagine what it took to hold that group together for 700 miles?

And the tactics that he used, the characteristics of leadership that he used to lead, held it all together.

Get to Durham, where he got to find the first American, a military to go through.

And so Lieutenant O'Bannon spent his life in Russellville, Kentucky.

He served as a state senator and state representative.

His 1812 home in Logan County is preserved and open to the public.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps founding.

To learn more about how Kentucky's Marines are celebrating, you can visit online Kentucky marines.org.