MARCH 19, 2026 – The Fort Knox and Hardin County communities are invited to honor Staff Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, a Fort Carson Soldier and Glendale, Kentucky native, as he makes his final journey home. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Staff Sgt. Pennington made the ultimate sacrifice while deployed in Saudi Arabia. On Friday, March 20, at 1 p.m., he will arrive at Godman Army Airfield on Fort Knox, where a dignified transfer will be conducted before a procession carries him to Trowbridge Funeral Home in Elizabethtown.
We humbly encourage all community members, both on and off post, to show their profound gratitude for his service and to offer support to the Pennington family by safely gathering along the procession route.
For the Fort Knox community: On-post honors All members of the Fort Knox community – including residents, Soldiers, and Department of the Army Civilians – are invited to line the on-post procession route.
- Location: Participants should assemble along Bullion Boulevard by Lindsey Golf Course.
- Arrival time: Please arrive at the Lindsey Golf Course parking lot no later than 1 p.m. While planeside honors begin at 1 p.m., this arrival deadline is crucial due to temporary road closures that will ensure a smooth and dignified procession.
- Parking: Parking is available at the Lindsey Golf Course lot. Carpooling is strongly encouraged due to limited space.
- Workforce participation: Members of the Fort Knox workforce may participate, as mission permits and with supervisor approval.
Rendering honors: To ensure proper honors are rendered, all participants should form along the route prior to the procession’s arrival. For Soldiers, please stand at the position of attention as the procession approaches and render a hand salute as the hearse passes. Hold the salute until the hearse has passed, then return to the position of attention until the entire procession has cleared. For DA Civilians and all other attendees, please stand quietly as the procession approaches. It is customary and encouraged to remove headgear and place your right hand over your heart as the hearse passes. Maintain this position until the hearse has passed, and remain in place until the entire procession has cleared the area. This is a community-led tribute. Participants are expected to exercise individual discipline in maintaining proper spacing and rendering honors to present a dignified, unified presence.
For Hardin County community: Off-post procession route We invite our neighbors in Hardin County to safely gather along the public procession route to honor Staff Sgt. Pennington.
The procession will exit Fort Knox via the Chaffee (main) Gate and travel to Trowbridge Funeral Home in Elizabethtown.
Procession route: The route will proceed from the Fort Knox Chaffee Gate along the following roads:
- Knox Avenue (HWY 361) for ~4.8 miles
- Left onto Joe Prather Highway (HWY 313) for ~3.9 miles
- Right onto Patriot Parkway (HWY 361) for ~6.2 miles
- Right onto Ring Road (HWY 3005) for ~3.9 miles
- Right onto Bacon Creek Roadfor ~4.1 miles
- Left onto Glendale Hodgenville Road W (HWY 222) for ~4.2 miles
- Continue ontoDixie Highway (North 31W) for ~7.4 miles to Trowbridge Funeral Home.
Suggested gathering areas: While you may stand anywhere safely along the route, suitable areas for gathering include:
- The vicinity of Severns Valley Baptist Church (near Patriot Parkway and Ring Road)
- The Cecilian Bank area (near Ring Road and HWY 62)
- Downtown Glendale along East Main Street
- The downtown Elizabethtown Public Square, extending north on Dixie Highway to Mulberry Street
Timing update for off-post procession: The procession from Fort Knox to Elizabethtown is expected to last about one hour. To help the community estimate route arrival times, this post will be updated the moment the procession officially departs from Fort Knox.
Please use that departure time and the route details above to determine when the procession will pass through your area. Let us come together to provide an honorable welcome home for Staff Sgt. Pennington and show his family that their community stands with them.
Courtesy Story
Fort Knox