Veterans past and present honored at Camp Nelson Wednesday

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Some of the most powerful stories of service are told right here in Central Kentucky at Camp Nelson National Cemetery. On Wednesday, the historic site hosted an annual Veterans Day ceremony honoring US service members, past and present.

"People from all backgrounds intersected and experienced Camp Nelson during the Civil War," Park Ranger Steve Phan told the crowd during his speech.

As he described the rich history of Camp Nelson, Phan also reflected on the service of US veterans through the generations.

"I humbly pay tribute to the veterans of the Vietnam War, especially US and South Vietnamese military personnel and their families," Phan said. "I would not be here without them, without you, and I bow my head in gratitude."

The national cemetery joined forces with the Central Kentucky Veterans Committee for the ceremony, commemorating the service of more than 16 million men and women in the US military.

Camp Nelson is significant because it began as a supply depot and hospital for the Union Army and later grew to become one of the largest recruitment and training centers for African American soldiers, according to the National Park Service. Also, more than 10,000 African American men, mostly enslaved, escaped to the camp, some with family.

Wednesday, Phan told the crowd about two Civil War soldiers who are buried at Camp Nelson. He says he didn't expect what happened after the ceremony.

"A person came up, introduced introduced herself, and she is a descendant of the African American soldier I talked about, and that was one of the most powerful connections experiences I've ever had," Phan told LEX News.

For the park ranger, honoring service members is not just part of his career; it's personal. He reflected on his parents, including his father, a veteran who served in the South Vietnamese Navy before seeking refuge in the US.

"Two Vietnamese refugees who met in Denver, Colorado and got married and had 3 children, that is the American dream," Phan said.

Afterwards, he told LEX News: "I started tearing up at the end, thinking about my father and other South Vietnamese who fled Vietnam in 1975 and afterward, especially because Camp Nelson as a historic site was a refugee site as well for people escaping the war and slavery."

That history lives on today, not just each November, but all year long, as Phan educates visitors about Camp Nelson's story.

"I think it's a great way to bring people together, right, to understand where we came from and where we need to go moving forward," he said.