Currently, Camp Nelson has approximately 21,000 veterans and spouses interred.

Learn the history behind the Civil War era cemetery.

It could take weeks for some veterans to kind of get over what this day represents.

Memorial Day grief and its impact on veterans.

I deeply appreciate care.

And that's hard, hard serving.

A Vietnam veteran honored for his service to our country a second time with 162 right now.

And every day we've got people calling in.

And a Kentucky town's tribute to veterans is receiving praise from beyond the Bluegrass.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Endowment for Kentucky Productions, the Leonard Press Endowment for Public Affairs and the Ket Millennium Fund.

Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition on this Memorial Day, Monday, May 29.

I'm Casey Parker Belle, filling in for Renee Shaw today.

People all across the country pause to observe Memorial Day.

For many, that meant attending memorial ceremonies.

One such ceremony took place today at Camp Nelson National Cemetery in Jesmond County.

As you will see, it's a place where those who made the ultimate sacrifice are honored every day during the Civil War.

In 1963, Camp Nelson was established as a as a supply depot and as a hospital and a major hub for the recruitment and training of United States colored troops.

Between 1863 and 1865, there was a small plot of land that was set up next to the hospital that they designated as Graveyard number one.

Initially, there was a total of 379 soldiers interred from the union.

In 1866, that is when the United States government had taken the time to appropriate approximately eight acres that they designated as graveyard number two.

That was more of the official establishment as a cemetery.

They interred an additional almost 1100 troops.

Then in 1868, that's when the United States government had enacted a program to establish cemeteries on a federal level for union soldiers.

Between June and July of 1868, an additional 2039 soldiers were were disinterred from surrounding areas, from surrounding battlefields, and relocated them.

Reinterred here at Camp Nelson.

Currently, Camp Nelson has approximately 21,000 veterans and spouses interred.

From Memorial Day itself, for the several weeks leading up to the team at Camp Nelson here.

We spend countless hours mowing, trimming, cleaning, mulching, doing everything we can to make sure this place looks as absolutely as beautiful and pristine as possible.

We're anticipating anywhere between 3 to 4000 people to attend.

Camp Nelson is a very important space for a memorial Day ceremony because you have the visual representation of the veterans who had given who had sacrificed so much in service to their country.

And there's no better way to memorialize these veterans than to have this visual representation before you.

Every veteran who is interred here has been done so, and the perpetual care with the most utmost dignity and respect, their families and friends are able to come by and visit their loved ones no matter what day there were, no matter what day they can stay as long as they wish.

They can visit any time they wish.

Their names are forever engraved on these headstones.

Any day that you visit here, you will consistently find some sort of flowers or decorations from those who have taken the time to come by and visit.

That's what it means that no veteran ever dies.

Every veteran, no matter where they served, when they served.

Every veteran who's passed away is never forgotten.

The camp got its name in honor of Kentuckian and Union General William Bull Nelson.

Memorial Day is set aside each year to honor those who died in service to our country.

It's a day that can be tough for those who've lost a loved one in the military.

But as Jeremy Harold, founder of Veterans Club Inc, explains, it can also be a difficult day for veterans as well.

There's a couple of different perceptions of what Memorial Day is.

You oftentimes hear somebody say happy Memorial Day, but it's not necessarily happy in nature.

It's a time to revisit the legacy of those who've come before us and those who've paid the ultimate price for our freedom here.

It can be celebratory in the sense that we're thankful that such Americans lived, that they'd be willing to lay down their lives for, you know, millions of people that they don't know.

And that's a beautiful thing.

Unfortunately, it's also a time to grieve.

It's also a time to remember and to miss and to wish you could have one more conversation.

For those who have served and who have lost brothers and sisters who they've served with, it really hits home when this time of year comes around.

People say, I'll take a bullet for that person, you know.

I know that oftentimes is a figure of speech and it's a term of endearment.

And all that's great.

But we actually would do that.

And on many occasions, the person that we're remembering has done that for us.

Who you trained with a month ago.

Now, all of a sudden gets caught in a firefight or in a roadside bomb or any other kind of, you know, in-service accident, and then they're gone.

Oftentimes, you're in the same vicinity, the same area, and somehow you just got luckier than they did.

And of course, that creates a little bit of survivor's guilt and can create a lot of other plethora of thoughts and and emotions and, you know, post-traumatic stress and other different things that we deal with.

It could take weeks for some veterans to kind of get over what this day represents.

We've lost over 31,000 to suicide.

That's a very real thing that we need to focus on and be cognizant of.

For this holiday, we want to make sure that if there's a veteran on Memorial Day that just can't really process what happened.

And they're just really having a hard time navigating the day that they call us and that they call the crisis line at nine, eight, eight.

Right.

And talk to somebody that they do not have to try to overcome this alone, that there are plenty of people out there to help them.

The VA just recently created a policy that a veteran can visit any emergency room in the state of Kentucky and be treated.

They can go to any E.R.

and let them know they're having a mental health crisis and they will receive care and the VA will cover that.

We can absolutely use that day to remember without it being detrimental to our health and those who have who we have lost.

I think if they could talk, they would say, I didn't do this and that you would be sad.

I did this so that you can continue to live.

You know, that's another thought that often helps me because I know the folks that aren't here anymore.

If they were, they would be mad at me if I didn't enjoy if I didn't if I didn't, you know, live my life to the fullest.

It's the only really way to repay those who have, you know, gave their life for our country is to live a life of liveliness and abundance and and just enjoy it.

For those who maybe.

Maybe they didn't lose anyone.

Don't feel guilty for having a cookout.

Don't feel guilty for going to the lake or the beach or enjoying that time.

That's that's not the intention.

But just remember why you're able to do that in the safest country in the world.

And remember those folks who had to sacrifice their life in an effort to allow you to be able to do this with the people you love.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, text your call nine, eight, eight to speak to a counselor.

A McLean County veteran who lost his military medals in a house fire now has them back.

Senator Rand Paul recognized the American hero in a special ceremony earlier this month.

Laura Rogers was at the American Legion Post in Bowling Green for the special day.

This is heart warming.

Richard Smith of Sacramento, Kentucky, served as a sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.

He put his life on the line and got the silver medal, which goes for extraordinary heroism and a lot of battle.

That silver Star was one of several awards and honors that Smith lost when his home caught fire in 2025, 35 minutes.

The structure was down.

He initially was just thankful no one was hurt, but over time would reflect on the military honors that defined such a pivotal time in his young life.

They were all put on the wall.

The 101st general pinned the Silver Star.

When Smith's nurse learned he had lost his medals.

She encouraged him to reach out about having them replaced.

It is a very exact process because we don't want to give people medals they don't deserve.

So we have to go back.

We have to document who they were when they served.

We have to document the things that happened.

All the evidence is there.

We were glad to replace these medals.

Smith's commander was in attendance today to speak on the heroic and quick thinking actions that helped save lives.

Back in April 1969.

Oh, it's heart soothing.

It's like a patch has been put on it.

They don't hurt no more.

It's similar to when some of my combat brothers found me and got me to the reunions.

He says he takes pride in fulfilling his patriotic duty.

Well, I believe if you're not proud of yourself, you can't be proud of anything around you.

And so that goes with material things out of your heart.

How do you care for people?

All that Great.

Your friend is a big fan.

Very much today honoring the past, but also the future of the military with a show of support from the McLean County ROTC.

It's to me, a heartwarming effort to try to, you know, say thank you for your service to the country.

He is truly an American hero.

And salt of the earth.

We work hard and and we try to do right by everybody.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Laura Rogers.

Smith was awarded 13 medals for service in the Vietnam War, including the Silver Star, Purple Heart and Combat Infantry Badge.

The city of Vanderburg recently held a special military Banner's dedication ceremony as part of its Rivertown fair.

More than 100 banners were hung around the town to honor those connected with Lewis County who have served over the years.

Cheryl Abrams Hansol Ash.

We're here today to celebrate mainly the veterans.

We've hung 113 banners.

We've got 50 some more to hang.

And there's veterans from all the way back to the Civil War.

War one of Korea.

And they're living and some of the veterans are living, some of them over to see.

Some were killed in an action.

But it's we've not restricted it at all.

Anybody that wanted to want to participate, we let them to.

Jerry Casement and Charles Chapman on the line, which for heaven's door for Clark was great.

And we had a lady come to me and ask me if we could put her dad on that pole.

And her dad was a Pearl Harbor survivor, and he was in the South Pacific for four years.

And when he got back, he got off the train and got out of the depot and kissed the ground for his.

So we put a banner that pole.

And we also when he was in the South Pacific, his brother was there and he was in the Navy and he had got a ship or two shot out from under him and spent several days in the ocean.

And so he came home and 45 and got killed on a motorcycle in 1946.

So we got his brothers there to we have request at all times about can you put my dad and my brother on the same pole?

Can you do this or that?

So we've actually got a grandfather, a grandson and a great grandson on the same poem from the 162 banners.

They represent 18 wars or conflicts.

Three Pearl Harbor survivors, three veterans who served in three different wars, three veterans who were P.O.W.s, 14 veterans who were killed in the Vietnam War, two veterans who were killed in action in World War Two and one killed in action in Korea.

We get calls around the clock, you know, people saying thank you, thank you, thank you.

And it's like there's going to be a lady here today.

She's got five banners out here, but one of them is her great grandfather.

And he was captured at 18 years old in a civil war.

And they put him in a pen to starving to death him and some other young soldier.

Somehow they got into a prisoner swap and he was released and came home and married my great aunt.

So we have he got him on on a pole with his son, was in World War One and his son was World War Two.

And then we have our other great grandfather on there.

That was a veteran of the Spanish-American War.

And then we have his her dad on there.

That was a World War two bedroom, David, a Navy American artist.

And we said, Hey, Harold Day weekend, I thought we'd get 20 banners.

Howard a little more optimistic.

He said 100, which is crazy.

What, 162 right now.

And every day we've got people calling in and we hope this just keeps going.

I'm hoping that they realize what veterans means to our county and our city.

And if we're going to do what we can do to show them our appreciation here and on that pole that I'm on, I have a brother and he's very he's a veteran.

And he's he's actually bad fast.

And it makes me feel good that they brought him in an ambulance to that pole and he can see a flag.

And that's really what it means to go into a wonderful way to honor some veterans.

Families are still able to purchase the banners.

Mr. McCann said they will keep hanging banners until they either run out of veterans or run out of poles.

The mayor says they plan to keep the banners up as long as possible and hopes to have more than 200 hung by the 4th of July.

Memorial Day is considered the unofficial start of summer, and that means the start of the summer travel season.

So what can you expect if you were driving or flying to your vacation destination this summer?

We checked in with triple-A of the Bluegrass to find out this Memorial Day holiday, which we consider a travel weekend.

Being Thursday through Monday, we expect about 42.3 million people nationwide to travel 50 miles or more from home.

Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff to the summer travel season.

We have seen a lot of interest in travel, particularly international travel.

Our bookings were up 250% compared to a year ago.

So people are really getting in those international trips that maybe they put off the last few years because of the pandemic.

But we do expect air travel to be more smoother than people experience.

And I think people have some more confidence that that's going to be true going back to Memorial Day.

Well, here in Kentucky, we have 90% of folks traveling by car.

We also have about 7% that are flying nationwide.

So a little higher, 8% that are flying here in Kentucky.

That actually represents about a 16% increase from a year ago as far as the portion that are flying.

And that's pretty significant.

And then the other thing we've seen an increase in is cruises.

People, again, I think, are finally feeling more comfortable going on a cruise.

So we've seen quite an increase in bookings and cruising.

We're seeing air travel increase.

And that's interesting because right now we're looking at about fares that average about 40% higher than we were a year ago going into Memorial Day.

As far as road travel, we're looking at gas prices that are right around the dollar less than we were looking at going into summer travel season last year.

And so we expect some strong travel as far as people going by car and planning those great American road trips that everyone enjoys.

The one thing that's a little bit of a wild card as far as figuring into people's travel plans is that the cost of hotels have gone up and some of the other expenses of travel, but we still expect some pretty robust travel this summer.

You know, for those that are ready for that road trip, they'll probably just rework their budget a little bit to accommodate the cost of lodging and those sorts of things.

We do tell people, if you're planning a trip, get your reservation now so they know you aren't trying to find lodging when you're out or a few days from leaving.

We were.

Hawkins also offered some reminders for those driving this holiday weekend.

Slow down your work zones, pull over for emergency vehicles and keep your eyes on the road and off of your cell phone.

One of the more popular ways to spend the summer is visiting state parks and recreational areas.

Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of Kentucky's state parks.

Katie paid a visit to Cumberland Falls to see how the Commonwealth's parks are preparing for their busiest season.

It's definitely the start of our busy recreation season for sure.

Kids are getting out of school.

People are thinking either Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July trips or bigger, full long week vacation.

So we get at the full staff.

We have a ton of extra employees this time of year, which we're still looking for.

We've got places for history buffs.

We've got places like this beautiful setting behind us here at Cumberland Falls for people that love the outdoors, they love outdoor recreation, they love the natural beauty of this state and places that you're going to find a ton of fun things to do here.

The big draw, of course, is Cumberland Falls, itself the largest waterfall south of Niagara Falls, and it draws people from all across the world, especially during the full moon.

People come here to see the iconic moon, though.

But then you look at so many of our parks are on really popular lakes.

There's great fishing, there's great boating.

So many of our parks have phenomenal trail systems, great campgrounds, historic lodges like the one here at Cumberland Falls.

Really, there's something for everybody.

Depending on what you like to do, we can find a park for you to visit.

We have 44 state parks across the Commonwealth and we also Maine.

It's two trail systems, one rail to trail called the Dawkins Line, one state Scenic Trail, Pine Mountain State, Scenic Trail.

And we actually share a state park with the Commonwealth of Virginia breaks into State Park cleaning our facilities.

We're making sure we're fully staffed.

We're making sure everything looks clean, making sure everything is safe, ready to welcome our visitors.

We're going to have a full schedule of programs and special events all throughout the summer so we don't have a great baseline for how many visitors we get.

But what we did see during the pandemic especially was that visitation to our state parks.

Once we were able to safely open back up, they exploded.

And we're still seeing a carryover effect from some of the older generations who grew up at these parks.

They saw them kind of evolve from when they were first built.

We had a big wave of parks built in the fifties and sixties, and they've watched these park parks and grown up in them.

So there's a lot of nostalgia in a lot of our parks.

We do see a good mix of out of state visitors, some international visitors that our international visitation has grown leaps and bounds the last few years.

And of course we've always got a strong contingency of folks from Kentucky.

Parks are very dynamic places, so if you've got something in particular you're wanting to do either a particular activity you're wanting to participate in, or maybe there's a certain feature like a pool or a beach or something you're wanting to experience at a state park.

I'd advise you to go ahead and call that park directly to speak to somebody there so they can make sure that things are open and running like they should be and help you plan for that visit.

Even better.

We'll have a lot of information about some of the wildlife or things you may encounter outdoors there.

Things that are as simple as sunscreen and bug spray often get overlooked, especially if it's people that aren't as used to doing fun things outside.

You know, you want to make sure you're protecting yourself where appropriate, clothing for whatever the adventure is you're going to be doing.

If you're going on a hike, probably not.

Best to have your flip flops, Bring some good shoes or some good boots.

Summer season.

Our recreation season is when a lot of people spend a lot of time on the water.

So you can't reiterate enough how important things like life jackets are, making sure you know how to operate whatever vessel you're in, be it a kayak, a canoe or a motorboat, making sure you know how to operate that safely, know the rules of the water, so to speak, and just making sure people know where you're going to do these things.

And we try to do a good job of informing our visitors of different things they may encounter.

So make sure you read signs, you know, stuff as simple as that.

Know where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there.

We've got a lot of parks that are kind of centered in the eastern Kentucky region.

And as you move west across the state, the Bluegrass and Southern Kentucky region has its own.

And you get to the far western Kentucky, which are entirely different landscapes and entirely different ecosystems.

And so we try to highlight what makes what makes each park unique.

Spending time at the pool or at the beach as part of the summer fun for many families, but can also be a source of danger for children and health news.

Keeping kids safe around water drowning and water related injuries is the number one.

So the leading cause of death for children age 1 to 4.

It can be a dangerous issue for any age.

Kid, but specifically that age group, they're at much higher risk and they are typically less comfortable in the water.

Don't have as much experience in the water and aren't is able to help themselves if they get into trouble.

I've seen from my time working in the emergency room, I've seen kids get into trouble in all different bodies of water, including bathtubs and like large buckets of water at home or kiddy pool.

So it's really any water that has more than a few inches of water.

And it can be really dangerous for kids.

I think if you have a pool at your home, you're more comfortable around water.

And so you assume that the kids in the water are also more comfortable.

And that isn't always the case.

And even kids that are very comfortable in water can still get into trouble and still have drowning incidents.

But yeah, I do think that if you are frequently exposed to water, it's you can it's easy to become complacent and feel comfortable and not keep your guard up.

The three most important things are getting kids into swim lessons so they have education and feel comfortable around water and being in water and how to help themselves.

So the inner tubes that we all used to wear as a kid and the floaty like arm floaties, those are like really fun, but they're actually pretty dangerous for kids and don't help them if they get into trouble.

But the life jackets are very safe for them.

So all kids should be wearing those and then having a designated full water watcher.

So someone to that's only watching the kids not playing on their cell phone, not talking to other people, and they're just watching the kids.

I think it's important that if families have questions about safety, water safety, or whether or not their child's flotation device is safe, definitely ask their pediatrician.

The other pediatricians are great resources for making sure that kids are safe this summer in all bodies of water.

Experts also say drowning incidents frequently occur in public places while having lifeguards on duty offers an extra layer of protection.

You can also give a false sense of security, so parents are cautioned to stay vigilant.

The Army's training hub in Georgia was renamed earlier this month to Fort Moore in honor of a Kentuckian and his wife.

Lieutenant General Hal Moore was a decorated Vietnam War commander from Bardstown.

He served as commander of a Calvary battalion based on what was formerly known as Fort Benning.

Morris featured in the documentary In Their Own Words Kentucky Veterans of the Vietnam War.

His wife, Julia moore, successfully lobbied the Pentagon to adopt a new policy.

Military families are now notified of war casualties in person rather than by telegram.

The name changes are part of a broader effort by the US military to confront racial injustice.

The name Fort Moore marks the first time the Army has named a base in honor of a married couple.

We hope you'll join us again tomorrow night at 630 Eastern, 530 Central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform, Connect and Inspire.

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Have a good night and take good care.