233 years ago today, Governor Isaac Shelby formed what would become the Kentucky National Guard.

The guard held its birthday party today in Frankfort at a dedication ceremony declaring a section of U.S. highway 127 as the Kentucky National Guard Memorial Highway.

As we commemorate this 233rd anniversary, we also gather to dedicate the Kentucky National Guard Memorial Highway in honor of the brave men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty.

The journey to create this memorial began in 2004, following the tragic losses of Sergeant Darren Potter.

Sergeant Glenn Stanfill and First Lieutenant Robert Henderson.

During the Global War on Terrorism.

Recognizing the need for lasting tribute, the dedicated group established the Kentucky National Guard Memorial Fund in 2008.

A memorial features a granite stone shaped like Kentucky that you see behind me, engraved with the names of 317 of our fallen heroes.

Beneath the very foundation of this monument lies the soil collected from all 120 counties across the Commonwealth.

We further recognize this site, a recently designated Kentucky military Historic Monument, a sacred and sacred ground that stands as a lasting tribute to the service, their sacrifice, and their enduring place in our Commonwealth's history.

This designation ensures the preservation of the memorial for future generations, safeguarding their stories and sacrifices.

It represents the memorial.

Behind me is where we have memorialized the soldiers and airmen that we've lost, as they've made an ultimate sacrifice while serving as members of the Kentucky Guard.

Whether overseas or whether stateside, at this junction, we have members of the Kentucky National Guard who are currently serving over in the Middle East.

Keep these folks in your prayers.

And quite simply, all the other service members who are currently in the Middle East for they and their families again, know that they're serving us in the Commonwealth.

They're serving our communities at this junction.

And it really just sort of exacerbates the idea of community service.

And the reason why a lot of these folks initially joined the military and joined Kentucky National Guard in particular.

Since 2000, the Commonwealth has celebrated Kentucky National Guard Day every year on June 24th.