Kentuckians at War

Mourners saluted at the funeral for Army Pfc. Dustin Gross held at the Montgomery County High School Thursday. Gross was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan last week after being in the country just about six weeks.

The Japanese government surrendered to Allied forces in 1945, but World War Two came to an official end in April, 1952, when a peace treaty went into effect.  Witnessing the declaration of peace, 60 years ago, were members of the 24th Infantry Division Band.  The American soldiers were in Japan on occupation duty.

Relatives of Kentuckians who died in Vietnam are being urged to submit photos and other remembrances of their loved ones to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.   Eastern Kentucky University later this week hosts a touring version of the Vietnam Memorial.  Lee Allen with the Memorial Fund says his organization launched a national campaign to get photos of all those people named on the wall.   Of the one thousand 58 Kentuckians who died during the Vietnam War, Allen says 625 pictures are still being sought.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense says the country has made a turning point in its military history, including a new defense strategy with $487 billion of spending cuts; but he says it’ll take more sacrifice to maintain the U.S. position as a global leader. Panetta addressed an audience over 1,000 at the University of Louisville’s Papa John Stadium Thursday night. This was the first visit from a sitting Defense Secretary to U of L’s McConnell Center for Political Leadership lecture series.