LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB/WAVE) — A Hardin County highway now carries the name of Staff Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, the Glendale soldier who died after being wounded during an attack on American troops in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
Dozens of people gathered Saturday to dedicate a two-and-a-half-mile stretch of KY-222 as the Staff Sergeant Benjamin Pennington Highway. The roadway runs between South Beach Street and Bacon Creek Road in Glendale.
Pennington, 26, died March 8 from injuries he suffered during a March 1 attack on U.S. troops at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Epic Fury.
Pennington graduated from Central Hardin High School in 2017 before enlisting in the Army later that year. He was serving with the 1st Space Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado, when he was injured. He was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant after his death.
His funeral later that month drew hundreds of people to Hardin County. A law enforcement procession escorted his body through Glendale as residents lined the streets with American flags and yellow ribbons.
Saturday's ceremony brought together family, friends, community members and elected officials to remember Pennington and dedicate the highway in his honor.
His father, Tim Pennington, said his son had wanted to serve in the military since he was 5 years old.
"He loved being a paratrooper, and that was one of his favorite things in the whole world," Tim Pennington said. "I'm glad he got a number of jumps in at different places."
The family said they continue to hear stories from fellow soldiers and others whose lives Pennington impacted.
"I think this is just a way to pay it back to him, even though we know he would hate the attention, because he did stuff, but he never did it for the attention," his father said.
His sister, Mackenzie Pennington, shared one story from a fellow soldier who was struggling financially. She said Ben would often buy extra food while picking up groceries or fast food and quietly leave it on his desk.
"He just would plop it on his desk and say, 'Here you go, bud,' and never ask for anything in return," Tim Pennington said.
The family said both highway signs were placed in locations that meant something to Ben.
One stands outside Glendale Christian Church, where he grew up attending church.
"This is his home church; this is where he grew up, spent many hours here," his father said.
The other is near Bacon Creek Road, part of the route he drove to Central Hardin High School and one of the first roads he learned to drive.
"The only route he felt comfortable taking and knew how to take was coming all the way down Ring Road, back down Bacon Creek," his sister said.
The family also announced the SSG Benjamin Pennington Dream Fund has been established through the Central Kentucky Community Foundation. Donations to the fund will support projects that continue his legacy.
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