bike and it don't get mad at me.

I can tell the motorcycle anything and it's just you and the bike.

You're out there in peace.

>> How a bike ride is helping veterans in crisis.

Plus, we head to a center that's giving racehorses and military members something to do after they retire.

>> Dayton, Ohio, had the Wright brothers.

North Carolina had Kitty Hawk, Kentucky has Vyazma.

>> And how one Kentuckian who earned his place in aviation history is being remembered.

>> Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

>> Good evening and welcome to a special Veterans Day edition of Kentucky Edition.

I'm Renee Shaw, and we thank you for joining us this evening.

One of the biggest challenges often facing veterans getting connected not only to resources, but to each other.

A center recently opened in Lexington is helping veterans make those connections.

The veterans UnityPoint and Support Center, located in the Kenwood Community Center, serves as a drop in center for veterans to access benefits and services and receive support.

The goal is to provide a supportive, welcoming atmosphere that gives veterans the opportunity to connect with their community.

>> Volunteers of America believes every veteran, every veteran deserves dignity and respect.

We're committed to promoting the well-being of veterans and their families, whether they're newly transitioning from the military to civilian life or they served a long time ago.

We owe them our gratitude for serving this great nation, and many of them now need our help to move forward in their lives and to achieve sustained self-sustainability.

The mission of this center is straightforward, but deeply important to create a safe, welcoming place where veterans can come for assistance, connect with service providers, and most importantly, connect with each other.

Too often, the challenges that our veterans face are are felt in silence or isolation, and veterans UnityPoint will stand as a place of camaraderie, support and belonging a space where no one has to feel like they are walking their journey alone.

This moment is the result of many people and organizations working together, and I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of our community partners, service providers, our parks Department, and veterans advocates for helping to bring this vision forward.

>> It's just a place for veterans to come, to decompress, to have no agenda.

Like, you don't have to come here because you need something.

You come here just because you need a friend.

You just need somebody to be with.

And then we will be here, and we will be here in the back room to offer those services that anybody may need.

>> Housing, mental health and employment are some of the services veterans can get help with at the center.

This summer, a group of bikers hit the open road with a mission to travel to 22 states and 22 days to raise awareness about a growing crisis in the U.S.

Veteran suicide at the head of the pack, a husband and wife team who understand the struggles facing veterans.

We caught up with them when they made a pit stop at man o War Harley-Davidson in Lexington.

>> There's a long story that goes back about a soldier being trapped in a hole, and people can tell him how to get out of a hole.

People can give him tools to get out of a hole, but another soldier will jump into the hole with them.

What they're going to do after they're in the hole, they don't know, but they're both in the hole together.

So the best thing I can do for another veteran is to just be there for them.

>> The military trains our veterans to separate, so when a veteran is contemplating suicide, it's not the same warning signs that it is with someone else.

A veteran has been trained to separate so they they don't have the need to give away their possessions or, you know, write letters to their families because they already gave their possessions away when they went to serve our country, and they already left their families when they went to serve our country.

So for us, it's just about giving back.

We want to be able to give back.

We want to be able to be that support system for not only the veteran, but the caregivers of the veterans who also struggle on a daily basis.

>> A lot of veterans turn to motorcycles as a. Form of release.

You get out there on the road, especially on a back road.

It's just you, the wind, the noise of your bike and your own thoughts.

And nobody can trip your triggers.

Nobody can.

You know, you're you're alone with yourself.

And sometimes that's a good thing just to to get away.

And I know a lot of veterans that ride motorcycles.

So it seemed kind of fitting.

>> I know if Jason's having a rough day, we can get on that bike and we can just go ride for a while, and it's literally a calming effect for him.

It takes the anxiety away.

And so more veterans than you can imagine actually are motorcyclists.

And so we're hoping to reach them and help them, other people, to understand that that is therapy for veterans.

>> I'm not sure how it works, but yes, when you get on your motorcycle, you become one with the machine.

And it is very freeing.

It's it's kind of like a therapy animal, for lack of a better way to associate it.

Yeah.

Me and the bike, we get out there and I can yell and scream at the bike and it don't get mad at me.

It don't care.

You know, I can tell them, tell the motorcycle anything.

And it's just like I said, it's it's you and the bike.

You're out there in peace.

>> The bond that we have with the group that rode 22 states, there were eight bikes, ten people that rode all 22 states.

That bond that we have, they've become even closer than family.

And I just reaching these people and knowing that we're actually able to give back, which is what we our whole goal was to be able to give back.

And knowing that people have received the message that we're sending, if we help one veteran from this, it's all been worth it.

>> Making the transition from a military to civilian career is not always easy for veterans.

To help bridge that gap, the state has been hosting free virtual job fairs, giving veterans the opportunity to meet potential employers and explore career opportunities without ever leaving home.

>> We started the virtual job fair in April of 2025.

We have a focus on veterans, but we don't want to limit it to just veterans.

We dedicate the first hour to veterans, and then we open it up to the Commonwealth at large.

The emphasis on veterans is to give them an extra resource they might not otherwise have.

>> As I travel the state and I speak to employers and business owners, I keep hearing the same thing over and over, which is what they're looking for in their ideal employees.

And what they're describing are all of the skills and characteristics of people who have served in the military, right?

They want someone who can be punctual, someone who is disciplined, someone who is a good team player.

And all of those things are inherent to someone who has served in the military and who is, you know, giving up their time to keep us all safe.

And so those are the things that we keep hearing about.

And so we want to make sure that those folks are the ones that, you know, have an opportunity to to fill these jobs.

>> As a former vet myself, leaving the Air Force, I think the biggest struggle I had was just finding a way to network again.

In the military, you build out a network just because it's, you know, the Brotherhood, sisterhood of being in the military.

Once you get out, you kind of lose some of that.

You might keep your connections.

But I think this is a great way for them to connect with employers and other job seekers.

>> When you're looking for an employment and you're leaving a military base, you're kind of like lost.

It's almost like graduating college and you're just wondering, where do I go?

Where are the employers and what jobs do you get?

And we're just trying to make it very easy for employers to reach the job seekers and for the military personnel to reach the employers.

Also to find a job.

All job seekers throughout the state can log on with their computer remotely from anywhere within the state and participate.

We've had over 80 employers registered for the job fairs, offering over 1000 jobs, covering multiple industries for the state itself.

>> Each month, there is going to be a focus on on certain sectors of of the economy.

That's not to say that those will be the only jobs that are promoted, but there's going to be a monthly focus in areas that that we need some folks to step up and work in.

But you'll see everything from education to advanced manufacturing to bourbon to EV.

Right.

And that's a wide array of job opportunities for different folks.

And the employers are so excited about this because this gives them an opportunity to really meet Kentuckians where they are, to promote their own business and recruit some folks that they know have proven themselves to be, you know, tested and tough as veterans are.

But also, I know that there's so many job seekers who, you know, may not know where to look or where to go.

And so this virtual job fair creates that opportunity, but it also creates the flexibility that our workers need.

>> One employer participating in the virtual job fairs, the Secretariat Center, an adoption center for off track thoroughbreds in Lexington.

The executive director says the center is focused on giving former racehorses and former military members the opportunity at a second, successful career.

>> Secretariat center has been around for 21 years, located here at the Kentucky Horse Park, and the mission of the center is to take thoroughbreds who no longer race off track thoroughbreds and rehome them, reschool them, retrain them, and give them a chance at a second career as they spend the rest of their their useful days.

I'm a veteran myself.

I'm a retired Navy commander with 20 years Vietnam veteran, and my son's in the military, so my heart's in the right place for veterans.

And I used to be the state director of veterans programs for Cdva.

So one of the things we focused on was, of course, veteran employment and making sure that every veteran that could has a good job that they can go to.

The annual payroll in the equine business.

Here is $325 million, which represents obviously a lot of jobs, and it's about a $6 billion industry here in the state.

So so from a workforce initiative type of thing and getting veterans into these jobs is is important to the industry so that we can continue to, you know, enjoy the the industry that we have here in Kentucky related to equines.

The virtual job fairs are great because I go to Fort Campbell and Fort Knox monthly in person and talk to the transition assistants classes so that I can get face to face with new veterans, new service members about to become new veterans.

So that's a that's the face to face piece.

And there's about 400 new veterans created every month at Fort Campbell right here in Kentucky, about 5000 a year, actually.

It's a pretty large workforce that's available to to go to different things.

So the virtual side gives me a very broad beyond Kentucky reach to where I can touch a lot of people that are either coming back to the state or, or are in parts of the state, not necessarily in the central part in the bluegrass area, but want to get into the horse business, because, again, we have a quarter million veterans in the state and they are spread out all over Kentucky's 120 counties.

So the virtual piece gives me that reach that I don't have, just when I do my face to face type stuff, I look at all of the people that sign up to come on the site to see kind of prescreen them, to see who, who would be, you know, who would be a good match, who would who would be likely to fit in.

I'm looking of course, my preference would be to have that transitioning service member who's looking for employment right after the service and to get into a career field like the equine business.

So and for the the people that are on the the virtual job fair, I get some of those, obviously, because they're paying attention to that, because they're transitioning, but also the people that are that are career transitioning, like the veteran I just graduated, he spent 15 years at IBM, and so he was looking to transition into a totally different career, kind of harking back to his father and grandfather who were in the racing business.

So the virtual career fair gives us an opportunity to reach all those kinds of people that are at different stages of maybe transitioning to a new job or new career field.

So the virtual thing gives them a chance to get on on that site, talk to me or one of my folks, and actually have a conversation about our program and get a little more familiar, a little more comfortable to see if they'd like to learn more about the equine industry and and having an introductory opportunity as well.

>> The virtual job fairs will continue through the end of the year.

To register or to find out more about the job fairs, go online to veterans.gov.

According to the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, there are more than 24,000 women veterans in the state.

In June, almost 100 Kentucky women veterans gathered for an event designed to help empower, connect and foster a sense of community for a group that doesn't always get the recognition they deserve.

>> One more day.

Army.

>> Co.

Army.

>> We share a very unique bond and that's the camaraderie is unlike any other.

It's very important in all of the military, but especially female vets.

>> We connect through who we are, what we've done, especially as women veterans.

A lot of times people don't understand us.

A lot of times we are trying to make sure that we're not isolated.

So what I'm trying to do here at the conference is make sure that we're reaching out to each woman this opportunity to bring so many veterans, women veterans together is an amazing opportunity for for not only to appreciate what we've done as service members, but to have us all come together and be like, wow, it's just a huge sisterhood of us being able to say, I went through the same thing no matter what service we were in.

Support system is so valuable because it not only helps you adjust and transition to the civilian life, but it's also a community that understands the same lingo.

>> I mean, I spent 20 years in that environment and then suddenly I'm out of it.

It can be a real struggle to figure out where do I fit, how do I function within this, and how do I get my needs met when it doesn't seem to exist in this new environment?

So that opportunity to reconnect in that same type of an environment and be reminded of these incredibly unique experiences we had, that unless you were a woman veteran, you just it's it's too difficult to try to understand it.

We're proud.

>> Of everything that we have done in the military because it being male dominated.

You know, a lot of times we're not seen or recognized.

So I'm hearing a lot of the stories of their experiences in the roles that they played and who's around them.

Some of the other, I would say, not so great stories.

A lot of women have experienced military sexual trauma.

A lot of women have experienced a lot of different mental health issues just due to where they serve and how they serve.

>> So in 1985.

The numbers of women enlisting and serving in general were definitely increasing, but it was still very much the old school mentality.

All the things that you hear about, you know, it's a men's military.

It wasn't unusual to feel like you were not wanted.

Your presence was not wanted in a certain office or work environment.

It wasn't unusual to feel like you were the problem, because you were asking for accommodations that you needed as a woman, because that was still the culture in the military.

>> Quite often we would become either one of the only women or one of a few women in a room full of our male counterparts.

The challenges we met with were mostly doubt from our male counterparts, the whether or not he had the capacity, the abilities, the skills to be able to handle the same challenges.

>> And you feel underestimated.

But I, I took that as more of a chance to like, improve my strength and resilience.

And it was a growing opportunity more than anything.

>> There were women who kind of just dealt with what was coming at them and did the best they could with it.

But then there were also a lot of us who were like, okay, I have to deal with what's coming at me, but this is not the way it should be.

So I need to do what I can to try to facilitate change.

That's the only way we were.

That was the only way the women coming behind us were going to not have to keep dealing with those same struggles.

>> So when we come together, it's so powerful, whether it's building one another up or whether it's helping out.

Yeah.

Coming together, it's vital we choose to serve because we love this country.

And always we prove to them that not only did we belong in the service, but we belong right along with them, making the strong decisions or the strategic decisions that leaders have to make, but also proving that we had the physical capabilities and the mental capabilities of being successful soldiers.

>> Yeah, here, here.

And we thank them for their service.

Service members are not the only ones who make sacrifices when they serve their country.

Their families do as well.

For the past eight years, children of Kentuckians in the military have been honored in Frankfort for their service during Military Kids Day this year, a record number 160 kids took part and visited the state Capitol.

>> My parent was in the National Guard, takes me and my siblings to Capitol.

I think it's pretty fun.

You go around and just look at cool stuff.

>> It's difficult to be a military kid, so we wanted to make a special day, just a day where we could say, thank you for being a military kid.

Thank you for the sacrifices that you make.

You know, there's nothing like inviting kids to the Capitol.

We invite kids to the Capitol all the time to page, and they enjoy it.

They get to see government up close and personal.

But we wanted to make this special.

We want to make this day just for them.

>> At the beginning of the day they passed, or they looked at a bill.

So I thought that was pretty cool to see how they did, how they did that and like kind of how that worked.

They we got to meet a few legislators.

So it's it's pretty cool to just walk around and see what they do.

I like being a military kid.

I think there's definitely some benefits there, especially days like this.

And it's it's not a drastic change too much because we don't move around a lot.

But, you know, it is a you know, there are days like this that are pretty cool.

My father is in the National Guard.

He is a colonel.

I went in the airplane, I went into the tent thing.

I went a lot.

>> It's really just us showing up with equipment, getting the kids to look in the Humvee and enjoy sort of the experience, a little bit of knowing what we do in the military.

>> I looked in there and I saw that like some of the parts were like really steep and hard to get in.

So, yeah, I don't know how they do it.

>> They like to get in it, push the buttons, you know, find the horn and stuff.

A lot of them have been asking how we buckle into the Humvee, because it's only got a belt strap across your lap, and then we tell them about how we have to wear our what we call a ACH.

So it's our Kevlar helmet to protect our heads and stuff.

They've also been asking about the tent, like what we use it for, what we generally and my unit, we use it for a talk, which is a tactical operation center.

>> We talked to the kids today.

We asked them what was their, you know, the most fun that they had.

One of them said, flying the drone.

Two of them said being here with their dad, they came to the Capitol with their dad, their military dad, and they enjoyed themselves.

>> That's cool that the kids are also proud of their parents, and we're proud of those kids and the spouses who help support their military loved ones.

Senator Jimmy Higdon started Military Kids Day back in 2017, and we suspect it will continue in 2026.

An honor for another history making Kentucky service member.

Aviation pioneer captain B Osborne was Kentucky's first Army pilot.

He made history after taking a plane for a test run during World War One.

The Kentucky Army National Guard held a ceremony marking Osborne's place in aviation history.

>> Dayton, Ohio had the Wright brothers, North Carolina had Kitty Hawk.

Kentucky has B Osborne.

>> Today we gather to celebrate a true pioneer, a patriot, and a person of remarkable courage and conviction.

Captain B Osborne, the first aviator in the history of Kentucky National Guard.

In 1917, Osborne was deployed to France to support the war effort.

He assumed the role of chief test pilot and commander of the 11th Aero Squadron.

>> He is one of the first very first pilots that flew in the de Havilland four airplane, when it went to France to become part of the war effort, and so he tested the airplanes as they arrived, and he created the organization that did all the testing of the airplanes that went to France.

Now, the significance is the fact that this airplane, the de Havilland four, is the first combat airplane that the United States constructed, built for American troops to fly, American pilots to fly in in France.

Now, you have to understand what these airplanes were like back in World War One.

They were wooden made.

They had cloth covers.

In a lot of cases.

In this case, they were multiple wing airplanes, and people had not done a lot of test flying to know how to fly.

He basically had to teach himself.

Now he did go to a school.

He was selected to do a special training and to be the first production aviator for the Kentucky Guard.

We didn't know a lot about flying and what the skills were, so he was taking it upon himself based on the training, limited training that he had in order to do the job.

And it's always risky.

Every time you flew, you weren't sure what the results were going to be.

>> B Osborne was one of those rare visionaries in an era when flight was still considered dangerous, even foolish, by some.

B Osborne embraced it with a sense of purpose.

For Osborne, aviation was a way to serve, a way to defend the homeland, to answer the call of duty, and to inspire a new, new generation of Kentuckians to believe that the sky was not the limit, but merely the beginning.

Captain Osborne didn't inherit a legacy in the sky.

He created one.

>> And we are grateful for that legacy and grateful to all our military service, men and women who keep our freedoms protected and us safe.

We thank you so much for joining us for this special edition.

A shout out to our veterans who serve, and we hope to see you again tomorrow night for Kentucky Edition at 630 eastern, 530 central, where we inform, connect, and inspire.

We hope that you'll connect with us all the ways you see on your screen, Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop on the social media channels.

We also invite you to send us a story idea suggestion by email to Public Affairs at ket.org.

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And also you can stream content anytime online on demand at ket.org.

Thank you so much for watching us tonight.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Take really good care.

And until I see you again, have a great evening.