Mar. 30—Emerson McAfee’s years of work will soon be realized, as a monument is set to be dedicated on April 12 at Richmond’s Armory Park.

“It’s has taken over two years in finalizing and getting this veteran’s monument completed and installed as the focal point of Richmond’s new city park,” McAfee said.

Armory Park is the site of Richmond’s old city armory building which housed several veterans chapters for meetings, a city basketball league, among many other entities over the years.

This plan came forth from a fire pit dedication in the 1990s at the local American Legion Post on S. Keeneland Drive with some of the Richmond City Commission members.

Blythe told McAfee that he had an idea on how and where to place one of those monuments. McAfee said that no locations were discussed at that time but McAfee was aware of the Armory’s condition.

Many years later, McAfee will see the work he did to get the monument to Richmond realized.

“When I chartered the new Vietnam Veterans Chapter 1066, we joined the other veterans groups holding our meetings in the old armory building,” McAfee said.

He told the Register that Mayor Blythe’s plan to raze the old armory and construct a new park has proven to be good use of the property and the park creates a great resource to those who use it.

McAfee’s statement says the monument going into the corner, which is called the “Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame,” or KVHOF, creates the first location in Richmond that honors veterans.

On the back of the monument are names of Madison County veterans who have been selected for the Hall of Fame for civil contributions to their community.

Madison County has five members in the Hall of Fame: Emerson McAfee, Chester Elkin, Marvin Farmer, Michael Boyd and Patrick Sinclair.

The dedication of the monument is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., April 12, at Armory Park. The ceremony is open to the public and will include music from Madison Central band and choir. JROTC members will also be included in these proceedings.