The Associated Press

OWENSBORO - Some veterans groups in western Kentucky are having trouble providing honor guards and pallbearers for military funerals.

Volunteers from American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts have been called upon for the services because many current soldiers are deployed overseas. But the groups, mostly composed of World War II and Korean War veterans, are losing numbers as more than 1,000 die daily across the country.

The American Legion post in Rockport, Ind., had to turn down requests for military funerals because it couldn't find enough veterans for the honor guard, said Larry Pounds, who coordinates the post's burial detail.

"We get our program together and boom, boom, boom, we get two or three deaths, and we're back to the beginning," Pounds said. "It's a drying-up vine, and the ones who are out here volunteering their services aren't physically able to do it."

The Henderson post is having similar problems. James Davis, 81, serves on the burial detail with others who have trouble walking or have Alzheimer's disease. He tries to solicit younger veterans.

"I'll get calls, 'Yeah, I want to do that,' but they never show up," Davis said. "I've been begging and begging."

Owensboro's VFW post is more fortunate than many. It has an active group of Vietnam War faithful who serve on the honor guard.

Joe Hayden, who took an early retirement from the Lexington Police Department because of a back injury, is among them. Hayden likes to have 10 veterans for military funerals but often can't find that many.