LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville veteran in the fight of his life said one of his final wishes was to become a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Members in Louisville made that wish come true: Lt. Col Kenneth Woodburn was inducted into SAR during a ceremony on Friday.
Members of SAR, a nonprofit with the goal of "promoting patriotism, preserving American history and teaching American history to future generations," also presented Woodburn with the War Service Medal in honor of his 25 years of service in the U.S. Army.
During active duty, Woodburn served in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield. Woodburn said his service took him all over the country and the world, including Koreal, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
Mike King with the Kentucky Society of the Sons of the American Revolution led the ceremony. He said the ceremony was done quicker than usual due to Woodburn's cancer diagnosis.
"We were diagnosed in March of 2018. My prognosis was about six to nine months," Woodburn said. "I have two forms of prostate cancer, small cell and regular prostate cancer."
Lt. Col Kenneth Woodburn
King said Woodburn's health has been a constant battle for his family, so SAR wanted to induct him into the brotherhood sooner rather than later.
"We first asked the question, 'Why us?'" Woodburn said. "Then, we changed our question that we asked to 'Why not us? What can we do to teach others or how can we use this experience to help others?'"
Woodburn said he helps the community by mentoring local ROTC groups, using his experience in the armed forces to advise them as their journey begins.
Woodburn said he wanted to learn more about his lineage and leave his children with a greater knowledge of where they came from. He joined SAR to learn more about his ancestor, Thomas Woodburn.
"It's humbling and it's very touching that someone would want to be linked to his ancestor, Thomas Woodburn in the Revolutionary War, to himself today," King said. "It seems like it ties all the ancestors together."
With a lot of research and help from the organization, Woodburn and his wife, Tammy, now have a binder with information about his service career and the careers of seven of his ancestors.
"Something for me to pass down," Woodburn said. "Something for me to give to my children to understand where they came from."
Woodburn's future is uncertain, but he said he's making positive progress in his battle against cancer by putting one foot in front of the other.
"The reality of it is, you've got two choices. You can fight or die, and we chose to fight," Woodburn said.
Woodburn said the three-year survival rate for someone with a diagnosis like his is just 5%, but he is hopeful he'll reach that mile marker this March.
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