Draft:Jeffersontown Veterans Memorial Park

Jeffersontown Veterans Memorial Park is a public park located in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. It is the only park in Kentucky to be dedicated to veterans. The park serves a location to honor community veterans, active service members, and their families. The City of Jeffersontown also holds several publicly available events year-round at the park.

History

In 1996, American Legion G.I. Joe Post 244 requested that a small stone monument and flagpole be displayed in Jeffersontown to create a memorial in honor of veterans. Former Mayor Daniel Ruckriegel then accepted their request by allowing 25 acres of farmland that was recently acquired by the city to be used in the creation of a park honoring veterans. Construction on the original layout of the park lasted from 1996 to 1997.

The first monument to be added was an M60-A tank, donated from a National Guard cemetery in western Kentucky. From 1998 to 2000, the park underwent major improvements and renovations. Roads, playgrounds, and pavilions were first to be added. Two naval guns from Naval Ordinance in Louisville, KY, and a torpedo from a naval museum in Seattle, WA, were also added during this time. In 2000, the Walk of Veterans was installed near the front of the park. A Huey helicopter from the 1st Cavalry Division that had served in Vietnam was then added in 2003. The tripod used to suspend the helicopter was built in a nearby farm by members of American Legion G.I. Joe Post 244.

Monuments

Freedom Wall

Freedom Wall was unveiled during the park’s 24th Annual Veterans Day program on November 11, 2018. The opening ceremony was held by G.I. Joe Post 244, and the wall was officially dedicated by fashion designer Heather French Henry. The wall is a sizable monument dedicated to veterans, military families, and active duty service members.

In the center is a large bronze marker depicting the Great Seal of the United States. Behind the seal is a 60-foot wide, 30,000 square foot wall made up of 15 laser-etched glass panels. The wall is inscribed and decorated with messages from veterans, military creeds, silhouettes of service men and women, as well as large portraits of service members. The inscriptions light up at night so that they can be read 24/7.

The wall also has dedicated sections for five United States Armed Forces branches, and has five American flags flown directly behind them on flagpoles. From left to right, the branches are positioned Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The Space Force is currently not depicted.

Gold Star Families Memorial

This monument was dedicated to the park in 2022 by the Woody Williams Foundation. It is one of 120 similar monuments donated in remembrance of Gold Star families by the foundation.

Vietnam Memorial

This memorial is dedicated to veterans of the Vietnam War, and has been designed and organized by South Vietnamese survivors of the war. Yung Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant to Louisville, KY, is the leader of the project to build the memorial. For over 20 years, Nguyen and the foundation that he created to help fund the project worked to bring the project to fruition.

The monument is made from black granite imported from southern Vietnam. It is named Tri Ân, which translated from Vietnamese means “deep gratitude”. Construction began in December 2022, and was completed/unveiled on October 9, 2023 at a public ceremony

Amphitheater

An amphitheater will be added on newly acquired land that boarders the park. The stage will be 1,616 square-feet, and will have an attached 2,900 square-foot venue to fit 200-300 people in seats. The amphitheater will also have swings surrounding it for people to sit in while facing the stage. The project will cost $4.8 million, and is intended to attract visual and performing artists to hold venues, performances, and other types of displays for the arts. A groundbreaking ceremony for the start of construction was held in June 2022, and construction is expected to be completed by the following June 2023.

Statues

• M60-A tank
• Torpedo
• 2x Naval Guns
• Huey Helicopter
• Howitzer
• Battlefield Cross

Events

Veterans Day and Memorial Day commemorative services are held annually. These services have been held ever since the park’s opening. They are also open to the public, and usually include speeches given by prominent members of the community, such as the mayor of Jeffersontown. Several organizations regularly attend these events, with choirs, color guards, and active service members lending their services to the park as well.

Light Up Jeffersontown is an event that features light displays set up around the park for families to drive by and see during the Holiday Season. This coincides with the city’s Christmas Gaslight Square event held after Thanksgiving, as well as the Christmas light displays that decorate Jeffersontown’s Gaslight Historical District.

Summer Fest, held on the last day of June each year, is a night for families to enjoy music, games, and movies outdoors at the park.

Amenities

• 6 Pavilions
• Handicap-accessible bathrooms
• 2 Playgrounds
• Softball/Baseball field
• Basketball court
• Grills