Honoring Duty and Legacy
This Memorial Day, the Patriots Peace Memorial in Louisville, Kentucky, will enshrine 1LT Russell Hunter Griffith ’31, whose life and service reflect a deep family tradition of military dedication and sacrifice.
Griffith, born October 11, 1907, at Fort Meade, South Dakota, was the son of COL Frederick Dudley Griffith Jr. (USMA Class of 1902) and grandson of BG George K. Hunter (USMA Class of 1877). Following in their footsteps, he entered West Point in 1927 and graduated in 1931. Soon after, he was detailed to the U.S. Army Air Corps and embarked on a promising military career.
His assignments took him from Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, to Hawaii, where he served with the 72nd Bombardment Squadron at Luke Field and later with the 6th Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Army Airfield. It was there that he met and married his wife, before being reassigned to Hensley Field in Grand Prairie, Texas.
On October 12, 1936—the day after his 29th birthday—1LT Griffith was tragically killed in an aircraft training accident. While checking off a Reserve officer in a new BT-9 (trainer), the plane entered an unrecoverable dive from an altitude of 2,000 feet. Both men aboard perished in the crash. His service was later ruled as having been in the line of duty by the War Department in 1938.
Griffith was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, beside his father and mother. Read TAPS memorial article.
Nearly 90 years after his death, his legacy is being formally honored thanks to the efforts of his nephew, Russell Hunter Griffith Louis, and the late Margaret Griffith Louis, his sister. On May 26, 2025, he will be enshrined at the Patriots Peace Memorial, in Louisville, KY, which honors U.S. service members who have died in the line of duty under non-combat conditions. COL Gerald T. “Jerry” Cecil ’66, Distinguished Service Cross recipient, will serve as the keynote speaker at the ceremony. His presence reflects the lasting bond between generations of the Long Gray Line and the importance of honoring those who gave their lives in service—regardless of the battlefield.
Patriots Peace Memorial
Dedicated to the memory of those United States Military personnel, the memorial honors service members who died on active duty but not in combat, such as from illness or accidents. It’s a place of remembrance for those who lost their lives serving their country, though not in the traditional battlefield context. Learn More
The Patriots Peace Memorial is located at:
3742 River Rd., Louisville, KY 40207
