Sandy and JJ Jernigan talk with Local 6's Jennifer Horbelt.
PADUCAH — It's hard to bring you sad news about a man who made so many people happy. Paducah's James "JJ" Jernigan died this week.
You likely remember his story of Service and Sacrifice. He was a Vietnam veteran living with post traumatic stress disorder and diagnosed with dementia a few years ago.
JJ wrote a book about his life story, and he was frequently seen at many Paducah Veterans Day parades.
James "JJ" Jernigan in Vietnam.
Local 6's Temi Adeleye caught up with JJ and his wife last year in the first months of the pandemic.
As you'll see in the video above, serving his country didn't end when he came home from Vietnam.
Thank you, JJ, for your service and sacrifice. Our thoughts are with his wife, Sandy. She told me she misses her sweetheart. That love you'll see in the story was very real.
A graveside service is set for JJ Jernigan at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 13, at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens.
