Pictured above, the “Top Gun” group on their visit to Northern Kentucky in February 2011.

In 2006, the City Council of Crescent Springs voted to “adopt” a battery of the 1-320^th Field Artillery Regiment, a part of the famed 101^st Airborne at Ft. Campbell, KY. In total, 5 cities in Northern Kentucky adopted the 5 batteries that make up the 1-320^th, including Villa Hills, Lakeside Park, Erlanger and Elsmere. ASA is an organization based in California, formed by a young woman whose brother (Joe) was serving in Vietnam. He wrote his sister, telling her that many of the soldiers in his unit received nothing from their friends and family, and asked if she would be willing to organize some “care packages” with the residents of her city - San Mateo, California.  

As Linda Patterson was organizing this, she received word that Joe had been killed in action. Through her grief, she followed up on her promise and traveled personally to Vietnam to meet Joe’s “brothers in arms” and deliver the care packages. She formed ASA and for over 50 years has traveled the country, enlisting cities in many states to join in the adoption program. We’re proud to say that Kentucky has one of the highest numbers of adoptive cities in the country! 

The 5 cities have supported our men and women soldiers through 3 deployments to Iraq, 4 to Afghanistan, and several others to “trouble spots” around the world since 2007. When not deployed, we support projects and programs at Ft Campbell, and occasionally host soldiers here in NKY for some of our local events. ALL the money is raised through private and corporate donations – NO tax-payer money is used.

To find out more about the ASA program, please visit: www.asa-usa.org