For Immediate Release
February 4, 1997
Contact: Melissa Forsythe
(502) 564-2611

Washington, D.C.--What do Hopkinsville, Prestonsburg, Henderson, Glasgow, Boston and other Kentucky cities have in common with the national defense effort? Governor Paul Patton found the answer today when he apparently became the first Kentucky Governor ever to meet with the Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. Military officers from Kentucky, some in top level command positions, work at the Pentagon.

Governor Patton and the first lady, Judi, were guests of General Joe Ralston, Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Ralston, number two in charge at the Pentagon, is from Fairview, in the shadow of the Jefferson Monument. He also attended school in Hopkinsville. "I grew up seeing the patches of the 101st Airborne's Screaming Eagles," General Ralston said. His in-laws, General Russell and Barbara Dougherty (USAF Retired), were present for the luncheon in the Chairman's Dining Room at the Pentagon.

Kentucky connections filled three tables at the luncheon. Lt. General John J. Coburn, the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, is from Prestonsburg, and plans eventually to retire to his Mt. Sterling farm. His son lives in Winchester.

Navy Lt. Commander David G. Ruff is from Hopkinsville, and serves as the Navy's Force Structure Analyst.

Major General Michael Davidson, Army Reserves, from Louisville, is the Mobilization Assistant to the Director of the Joint Staff.

Security Coordinator for Dignitary Protection, Bobby M. Thomas, is from Paducah. He said, "I'm a Vietnam Vet, and I've been here since 1985. When I heard Governor Patton was coming, I wanted to meet him."

Retired Air Force Lt. General John Conaway is from Henderson, served in Louisville in the early 70's, and has been in Washington since 1977.

Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Ken Drake, Berea; Army Lt. Colonel Brian Haig, Ft. Knox; Navy Lt. Commander James E. Higgins III, Hopkinsville; Army Staff Sergeant Helen Thorpe, Louisville; Army Brigadier General Robert F. Dees, who served two tours in Kentucky; Navy Captain Thomas Stark, Nelson County; and Marine Corps. Lt. Colonel Jon Paris, whose wife is descended form Kentucky's second governor, were among the group who met with Governor and Mrs. Patton.

Governor Patton told the group, "We in Kentucky are proud of our military heritage and appreciate the value of your role in protecting our freedom. It's gratifying to see so many Kentuckians here. We're very cognizant of the importance of the military to our economy. I've established the Military Affairs Commission to help keep us in touch with those very important issues that might affect our military personnel in Kentucky." He praised the honor, courage and integrity of those who guard our citizens in times of crisis, the National Guard.

Kentucky Adjutant General Russ Groves, Lexington, joined Governor Patton for the Pentagon briefing on the military presence in Kentucky. The governor was told that the Department of Defense deploys the fourth largest number of military personnel in Kentucky, at installations such as Ft. Knox and Ft. Campbell. Some 44,000 people serve in military and civilian jobs in Kentucky.

Governor Patton left General Ralston's wife Dede commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel. "You don't outrank your husband yet," the governor noted, "but starting out at this rank, you don't have too far to go."