OWENSBORO, Ky. — In the workshop of the Daviess County Detention Center, inmate Gary Mayfield torched wood to create the burnt base for a fallen soldier memorial. The project, he said, has deepened his appreciation for veterans’ sacrifices.

Mayfield and fellow inmate Gary Milam built a wooden American flag and battlefield cross — featuring combat boots, a helmet, dog tags and a rifle barrel — for Saturday’s Veterans Day parade in downtown Owensboro. The float will travel down East 2nd Street starting at 2 p.m., concluding at Veterans Boulevard.

“Everything I’ve done as far as teaching myself how to weld, make stuff out of wood, these are all things basically, I’ve all learned here,” Mayfield said. “Because I, you know, I’ve pretty much been locked up my whole life, so, like, I chose that

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