Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes has continued her active support of Kentucky’s men and women in uniform, welcoming Ft. Knox’s first female commanding general, Brigadier General Peggy C. Combs, during a change of command ceremony at the base.
Brigadier General Combs replaces Major General Jefforey A. Smith as commanding general at Ft. Knox.
“As Kentucky’s only current female constitutional officer, I am always happy to welcome other women into prominent leadership roles in Kentucky and in the United States,” said Grimes.
Grimes is passionate about supporting Kentucky’s active-duty and veteran military members and their families. In 2012, following her mission to the Middle East to assess and evaluate the status of military and overseas voting, Grimes continued her assessment of military voting procedures, conducting roundtable discussions with Major General Smith, then-commanding general at Ft. Knox, Major General James C. McConville, commanding general at Ft. Campbell, and voting assistance officers at each base.
Grimes made numerous recommendations to improve Kentucky’s military voting procedures. Those recommendations were made law in the Kentucky Military Heroes Voting Initiative in 2013, allowing military and overseas citizens to register to vote and update their registration online, ensuring that military and overseas voters have sufficient time to vote in special elections and extending existing protections to state and local elections.
“Kentucky’s soldiers represent the best of the Commonwealth – duty, honor, sacrifice, pride, and love of freedom,” said Grimes. “I look forward to working with Brigadier General Combs as she works to take Ft. Knox to the next level and builds upon Major General Smith’s leadership.”
