GRANT COUNTY, Ky. — One of five Kentucky Veterans Cemeteries across the Commonwealth, the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North in Grant County is a final resting place for thousands of Kentuckians that served their country.
What You Need To Know
- Nov. 11, 2021 is Veterans Day in the U.S.
- Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North is one of five across Kentucky
- Over 2,285 veterans are laid to rest in the Grant County cemetery
Branch manager Robert Miller said over 2,285 veterans and their dependents are laid to rest in Grant County.
"These hallowed grounds are very sacred, because these are the people who made sure that our country stays free and these are their family members, so it's very, very sacred," Miller said.
Many describe it as a hidden treasure that celebrates the sacrifices of the brave men and women that fought to protect American freedom. Miller said it's crucial to ensure all veterans have a dignified burial.
"Our mission is to ensure that all veterans and their dependents have a dignified burial. Then also the mission is for all of our cemeteries is to make sure that we have a cemetery within 75 miles of every veteran in the state of Kentucky," he said.
For Chris Hammonds and his grounds crew, maintaining the 28-acres that encompass this sacred place is not only a full-time job – it’s a blessing.
"It's a really tough job, but an honorable job. We have about 28 acres that we maintain and take care of here at the Veterans Cemetery," Hammonds said. "That's mowing, trimming, setting the headstones, keeping the headstones properly aligned, and of course interments, doing dignified interments."
Hammonds' is a dignified interment that honors those who fought on our behalf, in our defense, and for our freedom. Each gravestone delivers an unspoken message to those who come to pay tribute.
"It says to me that this is hallowed ground, something that should be taken care and respected in that way and maintained in that way," Hammonds said.
On Veterans Day and always, we thank those who sacrificed their time, their health, and their lives. We pray for those who currently serve at home, overseas, and are in harm’s way.
The blessings of America have been brought to us by the sacrifice of our veterans, because freedom isn’t free, independence isn’t forever, and democracy isn’t for the faint of heart.