Wing unveils plaque honoring retirees

Tim Atwell, a retired chief master sergeant and former maintenance flight chief at the 123rd Airlift Wing, and Mary McCallie, a retired lieutenant colonel and former commander of the 123rd Communications Flight, unveil a marble tablet honoring retirees during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., June 22, 2013. The black granite slab lists the names of Airmen who served at least 20 years and were honorably retired or transferred from the Kentucky Air National Guard during 2011 and 2012. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman Joshua Horton)

Wing unveils plaque honoring retirees

Current and former members of the 123rd Airlift Wing gather at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., June 22, 2013, for a ceremony to unveil a marble tablet honoring retirees. The black granite slab lists the names of Airmen who served at least 20 years and were honorably retired or transferred from the Kentucky Air National Guard during 2011 and 2012. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman Joshua Horton)

123rd Airlift Wing unveils newest plaque honoring retirees

Published July 2, 2013
By Airman Joshua Horton
123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Fifty former members of the Kentucky Air National Guard were honored here June 22 when a plaque bearing their names was unveiled during a ceremony held in front of the 123rd Airlift Wing's Lt. Gen. John B. Conaway Headquarters Building.

The black granite slab joins six others commemorating hundreds of Airmen who have served 20 or more years in the military and were retired or transferred from the Kentucky Air National Guard, dating all the way back to the unit's inception in 1947.

The ceremony honored 49 Airmen who retired in 2012 and one who retired during 2011, according to Ed Hornung, a retired Kentucky Air Guard colonel who sits on the board of the Kentucky Air National Guard Retiree Group Inc., a non-profit organization that funds the plaques through golf scrambles and the sale of items like T-shirts and ball caps.

Col. Warren Hurst, commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing, addressed the crowd, which consisted of dozens of current and former Kentucky Air Guardsmen, by recognizing the commitment required to earn a spot on the monument.

"Some people have put their careers, and in some cases, the better part of their entire lives into this organization," Hurst said. "That's commendable. I think seeing these plaques continue on down this row just means the continuation of our legacy of the individuals that made the Kentucky Air National Guard what it is. I know at some point, I look forward to seeing my name on a plaque."