Explore the History of Kentucky’s Veterans

Curated by Olivia Dale (Intern at the Kentucky Historical Society)

This tour will take you across the state to learn about the brave Kentuckians that served in the armed forces during the twentieth century.


Countless Kentuckians chose to serve in the United States armed forces during the 1900s. The twentieth century was littered with conflict - from the Great War to World War II, to the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and the Cold War.


Kentuckians were instrumental in all of these wars. They gave their lives for others, made advancements for the United States Military, and lead national camps here in our state. Many of these soldiers have been honored with medals and badges, but nothing is more important than sharing the stories of these brave troops and preserving their stories for generations to come.

Marker #1424 Camp Breckinridge

Camp Breckinridge was named in honor of Vice President John Cabell Breckinridge, a Lexington native, who served with President James Buchanan from 1857 – 1861. John Breckinridge was also a U.S. senator and sided with the slaveholding faction of…

Marker #1207 Lieutenant Charles Moran – USAF

Charles Barthell Moran was born in 1924 in Horse Cave of Hart County, Kentucky. Moran is best known for shooting down the second invading plane of the Korean War. He was a member of the 68th Fighter (AW) Squadron, 6160th Air Base Wing. Moran shot…

Marker #1731 Godman Field

Godman Field was established in October 1918 during World War I. The airspace was built for the 29th Aero Squadron at Camp Knox. Initially, the airfield was only utilized by the armed forces of Fort Knox. However, when the United States entered World…

Marker #1869 Camp Knox

In 1917, when the United States entered the First World War, the Army decided a new artillery range was needed. The original plan was to construct the range at West Point in New York. However, when the federal government acquired land in Bullitt,…

Marker #2092 Father Herman Felhoelter

Father Herman Felhoelter was born in Louisville, Kentucky and was ordained by the Franciscans in 1939. Five years after his ordination, in 1944, he volunteered as an Army Chaplin. Father Felhoelter served the 12th Armored Division of World War II,…

Marker #2046 Sergeant Ronald L. Niewahner

Ronald Leo Niewahner was born in Kenton County, Kentucky, on December 3rd, 1948. He attended Dixie Heights High School and worked for the Fedder’s Food Market in Crescent Hills. During his adolescent years he also volunteered for the Crescent Springs…

Marker #1322 Lieutenant General Field Harris, USMC

Field Harris was born in Versailles, Kentucky, in 1895, and in 1917, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. After he completed three tours in Nevada, Cuba, and the Philippines, Harris attended a year-long course at the Marine Corps Schools.…

Marker #1610 Camp Nelson National Cemetery

Founded in 1863, Camp Nelson was the largest recruiting center for African American troops. Eleven of the regiments at the 30.2 acre Camp were African American. Many of the soldiers brought their families to the Camp while they trained, especially…

Marker #2044 Colonel George Morgan Chinn, USMC

George Morgan Chinn was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, in 1902, and attended Braxton “Tech,” a one-room schoolhouse. He forewent high school and enrolled at Millersburg Military Institute outside of Lexington. He graduated at the age of 19 in 1920.…

Marker #2013 PFC William B. Baugh, USMC

William Bernard Baugh was born on July 7, 1930, in McKinney, Kentucky. He grew up in Harrison, Ohio, and worked in a shoe factory until he was seventeen. That year, in 1948, Baugh enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He trained at both Parris Island,…

Marker #1732 Pilot-Spy-Hero

Historical Marker #1732 in Whitesburg, Kentucky, commemorates the Cold War U-2 spy incident involving Letcher County native Francis Gary Powers. Powers was born in Jenkins, Kentucky, on August 17, 1929. In 1950, he graduated from Milligan College in…

Marker #1643 PFC David M. Smith

David Monroe Smith sacrificed his life for five other men on September 1st, 1950. Smith was a part of Company E, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Smith was manning the mortar section for Company E during a battle in Yongsan, Korea. The…

Marker #2033 First Lieutenant Carl H. Dodd

Carl Henry Dodd was born in Cote, Kentucky, where he worked at the Black Mountain Coal Company until 1943; he enlisted in the Army at the age of 18. Although, he developed a foot injury during his World War II service, he still managed to earn the…

Marker #1906 Lieutenant Darwin K. Kyle

Darwin Keith Kyle was born in the coal mining town of Jenkins, Kentucky, on June 1, 1918. Kyle enlisted the U.S. Army in November 1939, and was trained in Racine, West Virginia. From Racine, he was sent to fight in World War II. There, Kyle earned a…