Veterans HOF monument to be unveiled Feb. 20

Jan. 24—After months of delays, the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame monument has a set unveiling date of Feb. 20.

The project, which was announced in August, was supposed to be unveiled in on Veteran's Day but had to be pushed back due to issues with granite shipping.

"I think everybody is aware of supply chain issues," said Tim Rolf, veteran and owner of Rolf Monuments, during a Kentucky Hall of Fame Foundation luncheon in October.

Newport-based Rolf Monuments designed the statue for $10,000.

Funding for the monument came from local veteran groups — AMVETs Post 75, AMVETs Post 119 and VFW Post 696 — along with businesses including Modern Welding, Independence Bank, Glenn Funeral Home, Rhoads & Rhoads Law Firm, Pipeline Partners, Alexander CPAs and more.

The black granite monument, which is almost eight feet tall, will be placed next to the Owensboro Convention Center and will list the names of HOF veterans from 11 counties in the Green River area on the back, with room to add more.

The unveiling will begin at 1 p.m. at Mayor's Mile next to the convention center. Refreshments will follow at VFW Post 696.

"I think over the next five or 10 years probably most major cities in the state will have one of these monuments specifically honoring those veterans from that geographical area who have gone above and beyond," said Adrian Bambini, regional governor for the HOF Foundation. Bambini was inducted in 2021.

Daviess County veterans, Keith Cain and Mike Robinson, and Hopkins County veteran, Harold Leasure, are the most recent inductees from Region 7, which covers the Green River area.

Cain and Robinson are set to take part on the ceremony, along with other HOF members.

Since the HOF Foundation was founded in 2010, it has inducted more than 200 veterans across the state. It is located in Florence.

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