KENTUCKY LEGENDS
Set forth below are biographies of Marines, who have either been born or have lived in the Commonwealth of Kentucky at some time during their lives, either as private citizens or on active duty, or have been interred in Kentucky following their death, and have distinguished themselves through exceptional and/or valorous service to their nation. Nominations for inclusion of additional Marines for this honor should be forwarded, with supporting documentation, to the Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Kentucky for its consideration
John I. Hudson
John I. Hudson John Hudson was born on October 12, 1932, in Louisville, Kentucky and was raised in Fern Creek, Kentucky, where he graduated from Fern Creek High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on July 23, 1952, and…
Ronald R. Van Stockum
Ronald R. Van Stockum Brigadier General Ronald R. Van Stockum died peacefully in his sleep on April 24, 2022, in Shelby County, Kentucky. He was born in Cambridgeshire, England on July 8, 1916. His father, Sergeant Reginald Bareham, had died…
George Morgan Chinn
George Morgan Chinn George Morgan Chinn, Colonel, United States Marine Corps, was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, in 1902, and attended Braxton Hall, a one room schoolhouse. He forewent high school and enrolled at Millersburg Military Institute, outside of Lexington. He…
William R. Higgins
William R. Higgins William Richard "Rich" Higgins (January 15, 1945 - July 6, 1990) was a United States Marine Corps colonel who was captured in 1988 while serving on a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He was held…
Leonard F. Mason (MOH)
Leonard F. Mason (MOH) Leonard Foster Mason (22 February 1920 - 22 July 1944) served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Mason, born Middlesboro, Kentucky, 22 February 1920, enlisted in the Marine Corps in April 1943.…
