November 11, 2025

A special Veterans Day edition looks at the programs that are improving the lives of veterans.

Episode Transcript

(00:11):
bike and it don't get mad at me.
I can tell the motorcycle
anything and it's just you and
the bike. You're out there in
peace.
>> How a bike ride is helping
veterans in crisis. Plus, we
head to a center that's giving
racehorses and military members

(00:32):
something to do after they
retire.
>> Dayton, Ohio, had the Wright
brothers. North Carolina had
Kitty Hawk, Kentucky has Vyazma.
>> And how one Kentuckian who
earned his place in aviation
history is being remembered.

(00:54):
>> Production of Kentucky
Edition is made possible in
part by the KET Millennium Fund.
>> Good evening and welcome to
a special Veterans Day edition
of Kentucky Edition. I'm Renee

(01:16):
Shaw, and we thank you for
joining us this evening. One of
the biggest challenges often
facing veterans getting
connected not only to resources,
but to each other. A center
recently opened in Lexington is
helping veterans make those
connections. The veterans
UnityPoint and Support Center,
located in the Kenwood
Community Center, serves as a

(01:37):
drop in center for veterans to
access benefits and services
and receive support. The goal
is to provide a supportive,
welcoming atmosphere that gives
veterans the opportunity to
connect with their community.
>> Volunteers of America
believes every veteran, every
veteran deserves dignity and
respect. We're committed to

(01:58):
promoting the well-being of
veterans and their families,
whether they're newly
transitioning from the military
to civilian life or they served
a long time ago. We owe them
our gratitude for serving this
great nation, and many of them
now need our help to move
forward in their lives and to
achieve sustained

(02:18):
self-sustainability. The
mission of this center is
straightforward, but deeply
important to create a safe,
welcoming place where veterans
can come for assistance,
connect with service providers,
and most importantly, connect
with each other. Too often, the
challenges that our veterans
face are are felt in silence or

(02:39):
isolation, and veterans
UnityPoint will stand as a
place of camaraderie, support
and belonging a space where no
one has to feel like they are
walking their journey alone.
This moment is the result of
many people and organizations
working together, and I want to
extend a heartfelt thanks to
all of our community partners,

(02:59):
service providers, our parks
Department, and veterans
advocates for helping to bring
this vision forward.
>> It's just a place for
veterans to come, to decompress,
to have no agenda. Like, you
don't have to come here because
you need something. You come
here just because you need a
friend. You just need somebody
to be with. And then we will be

(03:20):
here, and we will be here in
the back room to offer those
services that anybody may need.
>> Housing, mental health and
employment are some of the
services veterans can get help
with at the center. This summer,
a group of bikers hit the open
road with a mission to travel
to 22 states and 22 days to

(03:41):
raise awareness about a growing
crisis in the U.S. Veteran
suicide at the head of the pack,
a husband and wife team who
understand the struggles facing
veterans. We caught up with
them when they made a pit stop
at man o War Harley-Davidson in
Lexington.
>> There's a long story that
goes back about a soldier being

(04:02):
trapped in a hole, and people
can tell him how to get out of
a hole. People can give him
tools to get out of a hole, but
another soldier will jump into
the hole with them. What
they're going to do after
they're in the hole, they don't
know, but they're both in the
hole together. So the best
thing I can do for another
veteran is to just be there for
them.
>> The military trains our

(04:24):
veterans to separate, so when a
veteran is contemplating
suicide, it's not the same
warning signs that it is with
someone else. A veteran has
been trained to separate so
they they don't have the need
to give away their possessions
or, you know, write letters to
their families because they

(04:44):
already gave their possessions
away when they went to serve
our country, and they already
left their families when they
went to serve our country. So
for us, it's just about giving
back. We want to be able to
give back. We want to be able
to be that support system for
not only the veteran, but the
caregivers of the veterans who
also struggle on a daily basis.
>> A lot of veterans turn to

(05:05):
motorcycles as a. Form of
release. You get out there on
the road, especially on a back
road. It's just you, the wind,
the noise of your bike and your
own thoughts. And nobody can
trip your triggers. Nobody can.
You know, you're you're alone
with yourself. And sometimes
that's a good thing just to to
get away. And I know a lot of

(05:26):
veterans that ride motorcycles.
So it seemed kind of fitting.
>> I know if Jason's having a
rough day, we can get on that
bike and we can just go ride
for a while, and it's literally
a calming effect for him. It
takes the anxiety away. And so
more veterans than you can
imagine actually are
motorcyclists. And so we're
hoping to reach them and help

(05:46):
them, other people, to
understand that that is therapy
for veterans.
>> I'm not sure how it works,
but yes, when you get on your
motorcycle, you become one with
the machine. And it is very
freeing. It's it's kind of like
a therapy animal, for lack of a
better way to associate it.
Yeah. Me and the bike, we get
out there and I can yell and

(06:06):
scream at the bike and it don't
get mad at me. It don't care.
You know, I can tell them, tell
the motorcycle anything. And
it's just like I said, it's
it's you and the bike. You're
out there in peace.
>> The bond that we have with
the group that rode 22 states,
there were eight bikes, ten
people that rode all 22 states.
That bond that we have, they've

(06:27):
become even closer than family.
And I just reaching these
people and knowing that we're
actually able to give back,
which is what we our whole goal
was to be able to give back.
And knowing that people have
received the message that we're
sending, if we help one veteran

(06:48):
from this, it's all been worth
it.
>> Making the transition from a
military to civilian career is
not always easy for veterans.
To help bridge that gap, the
state has been hosting free
virtual job fairs, giving
veterans the opportunity to
meet potential employers and
explore career opportunities
without ever leaving home.

(07:10):
>> We started the virtual job
fair in April of 2025. We have
a focus on veterans, but we
don't want to limit it to just
veterans. We dedicate the first
hour to veterans, and then we
open it up to the Commonwealth
at large. The emphasis on
veterans is to give them an
extra resource they might not

(07:32):
otherwise have.
>> As I travel the state and I
speak to employers and business
owners, I keep hearing the same
thing over and over, which is
what they're looking for in
their ideal employees. And what
they're describing are all of
the skills and characteristics
of people who have served in
the military, right? They want
someone who can be punctual,

(07:53):
someone who is disciplined,
someone who is a good team
player. And all of those things
are inherent to someone who has
served in the military and who
is, you know, giving up their
time to keep us all safe. And
so those are the things that we
keep hearing about. And so we
want to make sure that those
folks are the ones that, you

(08:13):
know, have an opportunity to to
fill these jobs.
>> As a former vet myself,
leaving the Air Force, I think
the biggest struggle I had was
just finding a way to network
again. In the military, you
build out a network just
because it's, you know, the
Brotherhood, sisterhood of
being in the military. Once you
get out, you kind of lose some

(08:35):
of that. You might keep your
connections. But I think this
is a great way for them to
connect with employers and
other job seekers.
>> When you're looking for an
employment and you're leaving a
military base, you're kind of
like lost. It's almost like
graduating college and you're
just wondering, where do I go?
Where are the employers and
what jobs do you get? And we're

(08:55):
just trying to make it very
easy for employers to reach the
job seekers and for the
military personnel to reach the
employers. Also to find a job.
All job seekers throughout the
state can log on with their
computer remotely from anywhere
within the state and
participate. We've had over 80
employers registered for the
job fairs, offering over 1000
jobs, covering multiple

(09:16):
industries for the state itself.
>> Each month, there is going
to be a focus on on certain
sectors of of the economy.
That's not to say that those
will be the only jobs that are
promoted, but there's going to
be a monthly focus in areas
that that we need some folks to
step up and work in. But you'll
see everything from education

(09:38):
to advanced manufacturing to
bourbon to EV. Right. And
that's a wide array of job
opportunities for different
folks. And the employers are so
excited about this because this
gives them an opportunity to
really meet Kentuckians where
they are, to promote their own
business and recruit some folks
that they know have proven

(10:00):
themselves to be, you know,
tested and tough as veterans
are. But also, I know that
there's so many job seekers who,
you know, may not know where to
look or where to go. And so
this virtual job fair creates
that opportunity, but it also
creates the flexibility that
our workers need.
>> One employer participating

(10:20):
in the virtual job fairs, the
Secretariat Center, an adoption
center for off track
thoroughbreds in Lexington. The
executive director says the
center is focused on giving
former racehorses and former
military members the
opportunity at a second,
successful career.
>> Secretariat center has been
around for 21 years, located

(10:42):
here at the Kentucky Horse Park,
and the mission of the center
is to take thoroughbreds who no
longer race off track
thoroughbreds and rehome them,
reschool them, retrain them,
and give them a chance at a
second career as they spend the
rest of their their useful days.
I'm a veteran myself. I'm a
retired Navy commander with 20

(11:03):
years Vietnam veteran, and my
son's in the military, so my
heart's in the right place for
veterans. And I used to be the
state director of veterans
programs for Cdva. So one of
the things we focused on was,
of course, veteran employment
and making sure that every
veteran that could has a good
job that they can go to. The

(11:28):
annual payroll in the equine
business. Here is $325 million,
which represents obviously a
lot of jobs, and it's about a
$6 billion industry here in the
state. So so from a workforce
initiative type of thing and
getting veterans into these
jobs is is important to the
industry so that we can

(11:48):
continue to, you know, enjoy
the the industry that we have
here in Kentucky related to
equines. The virtual job fairs
are great because I go to Fort
Campbell and Fort Knox monthly
in person and talk to the
transition assistants classes
so that I can get face to face
with new veterans, new service
members about to become new
veterans. So that's a that's

(12:09):
the face to face piece. And
there's about 400 new veterans
created every month at Fort
Campbell right here in Kentucky,
about 5000 a year, actually.
It's a pretty large workforce
that's available to to go to
different things. So the
virtual side gives me a very
broad beyond Kentucky reach to
where I can touch a lot of

(12:30):
people that are either coming
back to the state or, or are in
parts of the state, not
necessarily in the central part
in the bluegrass area, but want
to get into the horse business,
because, again, we have a
quarter million veterans in the
state and they are spread out
all over Kentucky's 120
counties. So the virtual piece
gives me that reach that I
don't have, just when I do my

(12:51):
face to face type stuff, I look
at all of the people that sign
up to come on the site to see
kind of prescreen them, to see
who, who would be, you know,
who would be a good match, who
would who would be likely to
fit in. I'm looking of course,
my preference would be to have
that transitioning service
member who's looking for

(13:13):
employment right after the
service and to get into a
career field like the equine
business. So and for the the
people that are on the the
virtual job fair, I get some of
those, obviously, because
they're paying attention to
that, because they're
transitioning, but also the
people that are that are career
transitioning, like the veteran
I just graduated, he spent 15

(13:34):
years at IBM, and so he was
looking to transition into a
totally different career, kind
of harking back to his father
and grandfather who were in the
racing business. So the virtual
career fair gives us an
opportunity to reach all those
kinds of people that are at
different stages of maybe
transitioning to a new job or
new career field. So the

(13:56):
virtual thing gives them a
chance to get on on that site,
talk to me or one of my folks,
and actually have a
conversation about our program
and get a little more familiar,
a little more comfortable to
see if they'd like to learn
more about the equine industry
and and having an introductory
opportunity as well.

(14:17):
>> The virtual job fairs will
continue through the end of the
year. To register or to find
out more about the job fairs,
go online to veterans.gov.
According to the Kentucky
Department of Veterans Affairs,
there are more than 24,000
women veterans in the state. In
June, almost 100 Kentucky women

(14:38):
veterans gathered for an event
designed to help empower,
connect and foster a sense of
community for a group that
doesn't always get the
recognition they deserve.
>> One more day. Army.
>> Co. Army.
>> We share a very unique bond
and that's the camaraderie is

(14:59):
unlike any other. It's very
important in all of the
military, but especially female
vets.
>> We connect through who we
are, what we've done,
especially as women veterans. A
lot of times people don't
understand us. A lot of times
we are trying to make sure that
we're not isolated. So what I'm

(15:19):
trying to do here at the
conference is make sure that
we're reaching out to each
woman this opportunity to bring
so many veterans, women
veterans together is an amazing
opportunity for for not only to
appreciate what we've done as
service members, but to have us
all come together and be like,
wow, it's just a huge
sisterhood of us being able to
say, I went through the same

(15:40):
thing no matter what service we
were in. Support system is so
valuable because it not only
helps you adjust and transition
to the civilian life, but it's
also a community that
understands the same lingo.
>> I mean, I spent 20 years in
that environment and then
suddenly I'm out of it. It can
be a real struggle to figure
out where do I fit, how do I

(16:00):
function within this, and how
do I get my needs met when it
doesn't seem to exist in this
new environment? So that
opportunity to reconnect in
that same type of an
environment and be reminded of
these incredibly unique
experiences we had, that unless
you were a woman veteran, you
just it's it's too difficult to
try to understand it. We're
proud.
>> Of everything that we have

(16:21):
done in the military because it
being male dominated. You know,
a lot of times we're not seen
or recognized. So I'm hearing a
lot of the stories of their
experiences in the roles that
they played and who's around
them. Some of the other, I
would say, not so great stories.
A lot of women have experienced

(16:42):
military sexual trauma. A lot
of women have experienced a lot
of different mental health
issues just due to where they
serve and how they serve.
>> So in 1985. The numbers of
women enlisting and serving in
general were definitely
increasing, but it was still

(17:03):
very much the old school
mentality. All the things that
you hear about, you know, it's
a men's military. It wasn't
unusual to feel like you were
not wanted. Your presence was
not wanted in a certain office
or work environment. It wasn't
unusual to feel like you were
the problem, because you were
asking for accommodations that
you needed as a woman, because

(17:24):
that was still the culture in
the military.
>> Quite often we would become
either one of the only women or
one of a few women in a room
full of our male counterparts.
The challenges we met with were
mostly doubt from our male
counterparts, the whether or
not he had the capacity, the
abilities, the skills to be
able to handle the same

(17:45):
challenges.
>> And you feel underestimated.
But I, I took that as more of a
chance to like, improve my
strength and resilience. And it
was a growing opportunity more
than anything.
>> There were women who kind of
just dealt with what was coming

(18:06):
at them and did the best they
could with it. But then there
were also a lot of us who were
like, okay, I have to deal with
what's coming at me, but this
is not the way it should be. So
I need to do what I can to try
to facilitate change. That's
the only way we were. That was
the only way the women coming
behind us were going to not
have to keep dealing with those

(18:27):
same struggles.
>> So when we come together,
it's so powerful, whether it's
building one another up or
whether it's helping out. Yeah.
Coming together, it's vital we
choose to serve because we love
this country. And always we
prove to them that not only did
we belong in the service, but
we belong right along with them,
making the strong decisions or

(18:48):
the strategic decisions that
leaders have to make, but also
proving that we had the
physical capabilities and the
mental capabilities of being
successful soldiers.
>> Yeah, here, here. And we
thank them for their service.
Service members are not the
only ones who make sacrifices
when they serve their country.
Their families do as well. For
the past eight years, children

(19:09):
of Kentuckians in the military
have been honored in Frankfort
for their service during
Military Kids Day this year, a
record number 160 kids took
part and visited the state
Capitol.
>> My parent was in the
National Guard, takes me and my
siblings to Capitol. I think

(19:31):
it's pretty fun. You go around
and just look at cool stuff.
>> It's difficult to be a
military kid, so we wanted to
make a special day, just a day
where we could say, thank you
for being a military kid. Thank
you for the sacrifices that you
make. You know, there's nothing
like inviting kids to the
Capitol. We invite kids to the
Capitol all the time to page,
and they enjoy it. They get to

(19:53):
see government up close and
personal. But we wanted to make
this special. We want to make
this day just for them.
>> At the beginning of the day
they passed, or they looked at
a bill. So I thought that was
pretty cool to see how they did,
how they did that and like kind
of how that worked. They we got
to meet a few legislators. So
it's it's pretty cool to just
walk around and see what they

(20:13):
do. I like being a military kid.
I think there's definitely some
benefits there, especially days
like this. And it's it's not a
drastic change too much because
we don't move around a lot. But,
you know, it is a you know,
there are days like this that
are pretty cool. My father is
in the National Guard. He is a
colonel. I went in the airplane,

(20:33):
I went into the tent thing. I
went a lot.
>> It's really just us showing
up with equipment, getting the
kids to look in the Humvee and
enjoy sort of the experience, a
little bit of knowing what we
do in the military.
>> I looked in there and I saw
that like some of the parts
were like really steep and hard
to get in. So, yeah, I don't

(20:54):
know how they do it.
>> They like to get in it, push
the buttons, you know, find the
horn and stuff. A lot of them
have been asking how we buckle
into the Humvee, because it's
only got a belt strap across
your lap, and then we tell them
about how we have to wear our
what we call a ACH. So it's our
Kevlar helmet to protect our
heads and stuff. They've also

(21:15):
been asking about the tent,
like what we use it for, what
we generally and my unit, we
use it for a talk, which is a
tactical operation center.
>> We talked to the kids today.
We asked them what was their,
you know, the most fun that
they had. One of them said,
flying the drone. Two of them
said being here with their dad,
they came to the Capitol with

(21:35):
their dad, their military dad,
and they enjoyed themselves.
>> That's cool that the kids
are also proud of their parents,
and we're proud of those kids
and the spouses who help
support their military loved
ones. Senator Jimmy Higdon
started Military Kids Day back
in 2017, and we suspect it will
continue in 2026. An honor for

(21:57):
another history making Kentucky
service member. Aviation
pioneer captain B Osborne was
Kentucky's first Army pilot. He
made history after taking a
plane for a test run during
World War One. The Kentucky
Army National Guard held a
ceremony marking Osborne's
place in aviation history.
>> Dayton, Ohio had the Wright

(22:20):
brothers, North Carolina had
Kitty Hawk. Kentucky has B
Osborne.
>> Today we gather to celebrate
a true pioneer, a patriot, and
a person of remarkable courage
and conviction. Captain B

(22:40):
Osborne, the first aviator in
the history of Kentucky
National Guard. In 1917,
Osborne was deployed to France
to support the war effort. He
assumed the role of chief test
pilot and commander of the 11th
Aero Squadron.
>> He is one of the first very
first pilots that flew in the
de Havilland four airplane,

(23:01):
when it went to France to
become part of the war effort,
and so he tested the airplanes
as they arrived, and he created
the organization that did all
the testing of the airplanes
that went to France. Now, the
significance is the fact that
this airplane, the de Havilland

(23:22):
four, is the first combat
airplane that the United States
constructed, built for American
troops to fly, American pilots
to fly in in France. Now, you
have to understand what these
airplanes were like back in
World War One. They were wooden
made. They had cloth covers. In
a lot of cases. In this case,

(23:44):
they were multiple wing
airplanes, and people had not
done a lot of test flying to
know how to fly. He basically
had to teach himself. Now he
did go to a school. He was
selected to do a special
training and to be the first
production aviator for the
Kentucky Guard. We didn't know
a lot about flying and what the
skills were, so he was taking

(24:06):
it upon himself based on the
training, limited training that
he had in order to do the job.
And it's always risky. Every
time you flew, you weren't sure
what the results were going to
be.
>> B Osborne was one of those
rare visionaries in an era when
flight was still considered
dangerous, even foolish, by
some. B Osborne embraced it

(24:28):
with a sense of purpose. For
Osborne, aviation was a way to
serve, a way to defend the
homeland, to answer the call of
duty, and to inspire a new, new
generation of Kentuckians to
believe that the sky was not
the limit, but merely the
beginning. Captain Osborne
didn't inherit a legacy in the

(24:49):
sky. He created one.
>> And we are grateful for that
legacy and grateful to all our
military service, men and women
who keep our freedoms protected
and us safe. We thank you so
much for joining us for this
special edition. A shout out to
our veterans who serve, and we
hope to see you again tomorrow
night for Kentucky Edition at

(25:10):
630 eastern, 530 central, where
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(25:33):
device and smartphones. And
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ket.org. Thank you so much for
watching us tonight. I'm Renee
Shaw. Take really good care.
And until I see you again, have
a great evening.