Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane | The Air National Guard's miniature C-130 Hercules sits in from of the Kentucky Capitol...... read more read more
FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky State Capitol was filled with the sounds of over 150 children, whose parents serve in the military, during Military Kids Day Feb. 25, 2025.
Kids from around the commonwealth representing all military branches from the Kentucky National Guard, Fort Knox, and Fort Campbell came to learn, explore, and have fun. One of the things they learned during their visit was that the Capitol building doesn’t belong to the governor—it belongs to the people of Kentucky.
They toured the Capitol, saw military vehicles up close, and tried out flight simulators from the Aviation Museum of Kentucky in Lexington. Some of the kids even had a chance to meet Kentucky’s Lt. Governor, Jacqueline Coleman.
McCoy Harvey, the son of Col. John Harvey of the Kentucky Army National Guard, was excited to be at the event.
"I’m having a whole lot of fun," he said. "I’m learning new things. It’s great! I’m really thankful I came today. I’ve been here before, but I learned a lot of new things today."
While touring the Capitol, the children visited the Supreme Court chamber, the House chamber, and the Senate chamber. In the Senate chamber, Karen Lamberton, wife of Maj. Gen. Hal Lamberton, the adjutant general of Kentucky, spoke to the group about the importance of their visit.
“We’re here to celebrate you and show you behind the scenes of how lawmakers make laws that affect us all,” she said.
The kids had a chance to introduce themselves and share what they enjoyed most about being at the Capitol. They also talked about the military branches in which their parents serve.
The weather for the event was sunny and warm, which was a nice change from the heavy rain at last year’s event. This gave the kids a chance to see the National Guard’s displays. Among the displays present was a small model of a C-130 plane brought by the Kentucky Air National Guard that the kids could climb into and explore.
For Sophia Penn, the daughter of U.S. Army Col. Jason Penn, who works in the Guard’s property and fiscal office, this event was more than just a day off from school.
“I got to skip school today, so I really like that,” she laughed, adding that her dad called her at school to tell her she was going to come to this event. “But it’s also really interesting seeing new things, I might not have ever got this chance again, so I really liked that I was here today.”
Karen Lamberton hoped the kids all had a great time but wanted to make sure the children knew how important they are.
"If we don’t do things like this to show them, they are special and loved, we would be failing them," she said. "They serve their country too, just like their parents. I want them to know that we take care of them."
| Date Taken: | 02.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2025 11:12 |
| Story ID: | 491681 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Kentucky’s Military Kids Thanked at Kids' Day at the Capitol, by SFC Benjamin Crane, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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