The Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge memorial dedication is scheduled for 12 November at 09:30 in the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery, Greenup County, KY. The cemetery has a program scheduled that day also. Their Veterans Day program is at 10:00 am. Inside the cemetery is a beautiful committal shelter, where all the caskets are taken for a final few words before the family is dismissed. It is also the setting for most of the ceremonies and programs that the cemetery has. It is about 75 yards give or take from the monument site.
Our plan is to have the dedication right beside the monument, if weather permits, if not we can have it in the shelter, it is unheated, but has very heavy clear drapes that can be drawn to close out any wind. Also the cemetery has some very nice golf carts that they love to use to ride folks from the office to the shelter or where ever. It may be a bit cool, but we will adjust, and none of the veterans will have to walk more than a few steps. The cemetery will have seats set up for us also.
My good friend, Battle of the Bulge Veteran, John Bill Kelley Sr., envisioned a VBOB monument somewhere in Greenup County Kentucky for many years. The only problem was, finding just the right spot to have it placed. In October of 2010, the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs opened their fourth Veterans Cemetery in the state. The beautiful cemetery sets on 100 acres of rolling hills in northeastern Kentucky. Bill Kelly knew this was the right spot for the monument.
In 2011, Bill visited the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs office in Frankfort Kentucky, to discuss the chosen site and began the process of fund raising. Bill had also made contact with Isaac Mullins, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, 12th District Commander in Kentucky. The Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs did indeed want the monument to be placed along the memorial walkway in the cemetery, and the 12th District VFW from Kentucky. did indeed want to take on the task of raising the money to have a monument installed.
Bill had been admiring the VBOB monument that belongs to the Southern Arizona Chapter in Tucson Arizona since it was erected in 2003. After a discussion with chapter president George McGee, Bill and two other committee members, Isaac Mullins (Vietnam War Veteran) and Bobby Reynolds (Iraqi War Veteran) decided Bill’s monument would be similar to the one in Tucson. “That monument is amazing” Bill would say. “It tells the whole story on one side and shows the VBOB emblem on the other”.
Sadly, Bill passed away on Jan 6th of 2012, shortly before the monument was delivered to the Veterans Cemetery. Bill had the opportunity to thank many people for all the work on the project before passing, “It’s not important that I get to see it” Bill said,” I know now that it will be done and when people go there they can see and read the monument and hopefully they will never forget the thousands of Americans that died, and the thousands that were wounded in just under six weeks.”
Dedication of the monument will be on November 12th, 2012 at 09:30. Please call Bobby Reynolds @ 606-836-7167 or the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery @ 606-929-1555 for more information.
Prepared by Bobby Reynolds, Associate Member