BATH COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Flags are flying, signs are posted, and a traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall has transformed the small community of Preston into a place of remembrance.
The event honors 110 Bath County veterans and their families — from Vietnam to more recent conflicts.
For co-founder Jodi Cassidy, the effort is personal — a way to honor her family's military history while ensuring other veterans are remembered too.
"Lets not only honor dad. Lets honor everybody in Bath County. Because we if don't then who is going too?" Cassidy said.
Hundreds attended in 2025 — something Vietnam veteran Jack Mattingly says is common in small towns.
"When you go into the small communities, it seems like the whole community comes out," Mattingly said.
For Mattingly, the wall is more than a memorial. It is a reminder of the men he tried to save in Vietnam. On medical missions, some of the wounded asked him to deliver one last message to their families.
"Several of them made me promise that I would tell their wives, kids, mothers, or fathers that they love them. Then they would pass," Mattingly said.
For more than 35 years, Mattingly carried those promises with him. Then, after visiting a traveling Vietnam Memorial, he was inspired to build a wall of his own. He says it helps him cope with PTSD — and keeps those final moments from being forgotten.
"It's making the promise he made in Vietnam come into fact," Mattingly said.
Saturday's event is about more than remembering those who served. Organizers say it is also about supporting today's veterans and making sure the next generation understands the cost of freedom.
The ceremony begins Saturday at 12:45 p.m. The public is invited.
Alex Barber is committed to covering stories in your community that matter to you. If you have an idea, reach out to him at alex.barber@wlex.tv.
