On Monday, Kentucky Veterans Cemetery South East, in Leslie County, will receive the National Cemetery Administration's Stewardship Award. Alvin Duncan is the director of operations for Kentucky’s five state veterans’ cemeteries. He said the Hyden cemeterys received high grades during an administration review last April in several categories, including headstone maintenance and operations.
“We look at how everything is dress, right dress, you look down a row and all the headstones are equally aligned, just perfect. That's one of the biggest things that they did.”
Kentucky Veterans Cemetery South East opened in 2018. Duncan, an Army vet, said proper burials and cemetery maintenance is the least we can do.
“I always make the statement very clear: It's not about me, it's not about you. It's about taking care of those veterans and their families in their worst possible moment in life.”
Duncan said while there’s plenty of room in the Hyden state veterans’ cemetery, he tells his fellow vets, “Don’t rush. There’s plenty of time.” Monday’s ceremony begins at 1 p.m.
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