Murray Armory

A Military Police unit was the first National Guard unit to be established in Murray. The unit started in 1980 as the 614th Military Police (MP), and was part of the 198th Battalion based in Buechel (Louisville). After Desert Storm, in 1991, one of the Military Police units was transferred, so the unit in Louisville was moved to Murray. In 1994, the 614th was reorganized as the 438th Military Police, leaving only two companies - the 223rd and the 438th. The 614th was totally disbanded. The entire 438th company went to Desert Storm in 1990-91, and the majority of the 614th, including the majority of the company at Murray, went also. While in the desert, members of the 614th did staff detail work (command support) and also did Enemy Prisoner Work (EPW), which involved processing prisoners from Iraq and sending them home. In addition, the MP unit did battlefield/circulation control, which involved moving convoys of vehicles.

Soon after the National Guard unit was first established, they resided in a leased building until 1983. After the lease expired in 1983, the Guard moved to a building by the city park and remained there for three years. Both of these buildings were leased commercial facilities. The current armory was completed in 1986, and the Guard has occupied the building since its completion.

Some of the activities that the MP unit at Murray has been involved in include providing security and crowd control for the July 1997 execution of Harold McQueen at the state penitentiary in Eddyville. Other activities include active duty missions such as flood duty, snow duty in 1992, during which the armory was used as a shelter for 3 weeks, and crowd and traffic control for events such as the Derby, Thunder over Louisville, the Bluegrass Games, and Riverfest in Newport. The Guard unit also participates in a number of city activities, including a highway sponsorship program, helping with general maintenance and clean-up of the city park. The Guard hosts a Career Day for the high school students, with different factories and plants in the area setting up displays in the armory. In addition, the Guard holds recruiting activities and teaches military skills classes to a number of high-school kids. Troubled kids in the area participate in community service with the National Guard, and several community activities and sports take place at the armory. The National Guard plays a prominent role in the Murray community.

Murray Armory

The Murray Armory was completed in 1986, and is a modern, one-story buff-colored brick building with decorative composite metal/porcelain panels on the facade and right side. The building shares design elements with the gold depository at Fort Knox because of its design, the use of light-colored brick, and the glass block windows. The current armory is the first one to be built in Murray. Prior to the construction of the armory, two commercial buildings in town were used by the Guard. One building now houses an electric parts shop, while the other building, near the city park, is used as a body shop. The first building was used from 1980 to 1983, while the second building was used from 1983 to 1986. The National Guard unit in Murray was organized in 1980 and is the first National Guard unit to be stationed in Murray.

Photos and information courtesy Kentucky Heritage Council -- Report No. 25" Inventory and Evaluation of National Guard Armories in the State of Kentucky" - 1999 by Kate Carothers.