(LEX 18) — The Fort Knox and Hardin County communities are invited to honor Staff Sgt. Benjamin Pennington as he makes his final journey home on Friday, March 20.
Pennington, a Glendale, Kentucky native and Fort Carson Soldier, died while deployed in Saudi Arabia. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Pennington will arrive at Godman Army Airfield on Fort Knox at 1 p.m. A dignified transfer will be conducted before a procession carries him to Trowbridge Funeral Home in Elizabethtown. Community members on and off the post are encouraged to safely gather along the procession route to show gratitude for his service and support for his family.
For the Fort Knox community, residents, Soldiers, and Department of the Army Civilians are invited to line the on-post procession route. Participants should assemble along Bullion Boulevard by Lindsey Golf Course no later than 1 p.m. Planeside honors begin at 1 p.m., and the arrival deadline is required due to temporary road closures. Parking is available at the Lindsey Golf Course lot, and carpooling is strongly encouraged due to limited space. Members of the Fort Knox workforce may participate as the mission permits and with supervisor approval.
To ensure proper honors are rendered, all participants should form along the route prior to the procession’s arrival. Soldiers are asked to stand at the position of attention as the procession approaches and render a hand salute as the hearse passes, holding the salute until the hearse has passed. Department of the Army Civilians and all other attendees are asked to stand quietly, remove headgear, and place their right hand over their heart as the hearse passes.
For the Hardin County community, the procession will exit Fort Knox via the Chaffee Gate and travel to Trowbridge Funeral Home in Elizabethtown.
The off-post route will proceed from the Fort Knox Chaffee Gate along the following roads:
- Knox Avenue for about 4.8 miles
- Left onto Joe Prather Highway for about 3.9 miles
- Right onto Patriot Parkway for about 6.2 miles
- Right onto Ring Road for about 3.9 miles
- Right onto Bacon Creek Road for about 4.1 miles
- Left onto Glendale Hodgenville Road W for about 4.2 miles
- After passing over I-65, the route continues on Dixie Highway for about 7.4 miles to Trowbridge Funeral Home.
