Louisville's Patriots Peace Memorial honors founders, soldier killed in the line of duty

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's Patriot's Peace Memorial honored two of its founders and enshrined another U.S. service member on Memorial Day.

The brick-and-glass monument on Upper River Road honors members of the armed forces who lost their lives while on active duty but did not die in a hostile action.

The ceremony on Monday honored U.S. Army Sgt. 1st class Michael T. Longest. The New Albany, Indiana, native died of a heart attack at age 56 while doing pre-deployment training at Fort Campbell with the U.S. Army 6th Brigade, 100th Division.

Longest also served as a U.S. Navy Corpsman during Operation Desert Storm and the liberation of Kuwait during which he was founded and received a Purple Heart. Longest was also assigned to the Marine Corps and was a key volunteer for the Marine Corps Reserve "Toys for Tots" program.

A personalized glass plate is being added to the Patriots Peace Memorial to honor Longest. Since 2002, 457 patriots from our region have been memorialized. The glass voids in the solid wall allow light to shine through during the day and allow lights from inside the structure to be seen at night. That light is meant to be a daily reminder of the joy of freedom safeguarded by the patriots honored by the memorial. It is believed that this is the only such memorial in the United States.

During the ceremony, a tree was dedicated on the grounds as a tribute to David and Betty Jones, the late benefactors of the memorial. The planting of the tulip poplar, Kentucky's state tree, recognized the philanthropists for their support for the Patriots Peace Memorial from it's conception. A permanent granite and bronze marker was unveiled to honor their memories.