Plaque unveiled to honor recent Kentucky Air Guard retirees

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joshua Horton
  • 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --  Thirty retired members of the Kentucky Air National Guard were honored here April 13 when a plaque bearing their names was unveiled in front of the 123rd Airlift Wing’s Lt. Gen. John B. Conaway Headquarters Building.

The black granite plaque is the newest addition to a monument that memorializes the names of all Airmen who have completed 20 or more years of military service and retired from the Kentucky Air National Guard, dating back to the unit’s inception in 1947.

Col. David Mounkes, commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing, paid homage to the Airmen in his comments before a crowd of dozens of friends, family and co-workers.

“The 123rd Airlift Wing is made up of people and things that were built during your service,” Mounkes said. “We most definitely would not be the great wing that we are today or be able to accomplish the mission that we do without what you all built.

“The nation and the Commonwealth owe you a huge debt for what you did,” Mounkes continued. “From the bottom of my heart to both to you and your families: Thank you for your service.”

The annual plaque unveilings are made possible through donations from the non-profit Kentucky Air National Guard Retiree Group Inc.