By Trina Dunaway 

Many veterans were honored at a ceremony in Jessamine County last Thursday.

Lighthouse Baptist Church hosted Doug Day’s Military Honors Ceremony, where four Purple Heart recipients were recognized by dignitaries representing Jessamine County and Frankfort. American Idol contestant Kelly Casey sang special music, and hardly a dry eye in the church could be seen after the P.O.W/M.I.A (Prisoner of War and Missing in Action) ceremony was performed with the song, “Some Gave All.”

The Nicholasville City Fire Department Honor Guard also performed a presentation of the colors.

The four Purple Heart recipients were Danny Adams, U.S. Army, E6; Wilbert Gene Lemay, U.S. Army, E5; Stuart Muir, U.S. Army, Spec. 4; and Frederick H. Segur, U.S. Army, Staff Sgt. (Pastor Tommy Morrow accepted on his behalf).

Special guest Stella West, a WWII veteran, also received honors. West drove the jeep for General Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo during WWII, said Doug Day, organizer of Freedom Fest hosted in Jessamine County.

Phillip Pittman, organizer of Honor Flight Kentucky, was also present. The next flight will take Corporal Creed Johns, 92, U.S. Army, from Jessamine County to Washington D.C. on Saturday, Oct. 1. Virginia Simpson, Johns daughter, was at her father’s side during the ceremony.

Pittman encouraged the public to support our veterans and come to the airport and welcome them home.

These ceremonies occur several times throughout the year. They honor active military, veterans, and families of deceased military.

If you know of a veteran who has not been honored, please contact Doug Day at 859-621-9872. These ceremonies are sponsored by funds raised through Military Freedom Fest, a non-profit organization that helps support and honor troops and their families.