(WAVE/WKYT) – On Saturday, dozens of people gathered in Hardin County to honor the life of a fallen soldier, Staff Sergeant Benjamin Pennington, by dedicating a local highway in his name.
Sgt. Pennington died after U.S. troops were attacked by Iranian forces in Saudi Arabia in March 2026.
Now, a two-and-a-half-mile section of KY-222 between South Beach St. and Bacon Creek Rd. in Hardin County is known as “Staff Sergeant Benjamin Pennington Highway”.
At Saturday morning’s ceremony, friends, family, community members and elected officials gathered to dedicate the stretch of highway.
During the ceremony, stories about SSG. Pennington’s life were shared.
SSG. Pennington’s father, Tim Pennington, said his son loved serving his country. It’s something he wanted to do since he was 5-years-old.
“He loved being a paratrooper, and that was one of his favorite things in the whole world, and I’m glad he got a number of jumps in at different places, and he jumped with a bunch of different places along the way,”
The family said in the weeks and months since his passing, and even at Saturday’s ceremony, stories from people who met him along the way have poured in, showing the kind of person he was.
“I think this is just a way to pay it back to him, even though we know he would hate the attention, because he did stuff, but he never did it for the attention,”
The stories reached beyond the battlefield.
His sister, Mackenzie, recalled a story one of Ben’s fellow soldiers told her.
“A soldier who had a lot of debt, was paycheck to paycheck and didn’t have a lot to make ends meet told us that Ben, whenever he would go get fast food or groceries, would always get something extra for him,” Mackenzie said.
“He just would plop it on his desk and say, ‘here you go bud’ and never ask for anything in return,” Her father chimed in and said.
One of the signs is positioned just outside the Glendale Christian Church, which his father said is symbolic.
“This is his home church; this is where he grew up, spent many hours here,” he said.
The other is posted at KY-22 and Bacon Creek Road and is also meaningful, according to his sister. It’s a stretch of road that was part of his daily route to Central Hardin High School and one he often used when learning to drive.
“The only route he felt comfortable taking and knew how to take was coming all the way down Ring Road, back down Bacon Creek,” she said.
Now it’s something everyone who passes through Glendale will see, and will be able to honor and pay their respects.
“We can laugh about it, and it’s a good memory as well, so it makes us feel a little bit better knowing this stretch that he only knew for the longest time is now named for him,” his father said.
A memorial fund has been named in SSG. Pennington’s honor. If you’re interested in supporting, you can donate to the SSG Benjamin Pennington Dream Fund on the Central Kentucky Community Foundation website.