On June 3, 2006, the 198th anniversary of President Jefferson Davis' birth, the John Hunt Morgan Camp, along with members of the Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, gathered to celebrate Confederate Memorial Day at the Pewee Valley Cemetery in Pewee Valley, Kentucky. The cemetery is the final resting place of over 300 Confederate Veterans and former residents of the Kentucky Confederate Home.

The featured speaker was Col. Ronald D. Ray, USMCR (Ret.) who gave an inspirational, yet impromptu, talk on the sacrifices of the American soldier. Colonel Ray, whose son attended VMI in Lexington, Virginia, also gave some interesting remarks about VMI and the Battle of New Market.

Colonel Ray is a practicing attorney in Kentucky and a highly decorated combat veteran of the Vietnam War (two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart). He served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense during the Reagan Administration and was appointed by President Bush to serve on the American Battle Monuments Commission (1990-1994). We were very lucky to have Colonel Ray step in at the last minute to give this year's keynote address. Thank you, Colonel Ray!

After Colonel Ray's remarks, the ladies of the UDC, escorted by Past JHM Camp Commander Gary Davis, placed a wreath at the foot of the Confederate Monument. At the close of the ceremony, a touching rendition of Dixie was played.