Kentucky ALA Unit 124 member Andria Henderson has always been devoted to veterans and active-duty servicemembers. She and her husband both come from families with a strong tradition of military service. Henderson’s mother, father, and uncle served in the Air Force, her brother served in the Navy, and both her grandfather and step-grandfather served in the Army during World War I.
 
Henderson had long wanted to honor the servicemembers in her family and her husband’s. That desire deepened after her mother gave her an old tin photograph of her step-grandfather in his WWI uniform. The photo holds special meaning for Henderson because she was born on his 70th birthday.
 
Ahead of Veterans Day 2024, Henderson found a meaningful way to honor servicemembers at The Broken Tee, the restaurant she ran with her husband. She set up a tree with red and white lights and decorated it with photos of veterans from her family. She also invited patrons with military ties to contribute photos to the display. 
 
Expecting about 50 photos through the holiday season, she instead received more than 100 by New Year’s. As more customers came to the restaurant and asked to add their own family members, the tribute continued to grow. Henderson asked contributors to include a photo, the person’s name, branch of service, and whether they served during wartime. 
 
By Veterans Day 2025, the tree held more than 200 photos and was still growing.
 
Visitors embraced the tree and often asked how Henderson came up with the idea for a military tribute. Many said they were surprised no one had thought of it previously. Some patrons even brought out-of-town relatives to the restaurant so they could see family photos displayed on the tree.

Henderson also created a POW/MIA Table in the restaurant and displayed a military diamond-art piece above it, along with three photos of servicemembers who had been prisoners of war and tributes to seven who lost their lives during the war.
 
“This project has blessed my heart so much,” shared Henderson. “I was just hoping for 50 photos, but the response from our community has been so awesome. It just makes me proud to be an American. I know that sounds cliché, but my heart swells with pride and love for our community and the military.”
 
Henderson and her husband had operated The Broken Tee Restaurant since 2018. Henderson’s husband suffered a stroke while at work earlier this year, and unfortunately, they’ve had to close the restaurant. A close family friend — who serves as commander of American Legion Post 124 — offered to display the tree at The American Legion as long as Henderson continued maintaining it. 
 
Each September, their local community, Greensburg, hosts a festival known as Cow Days. During the festival, The American Legion and Sons of The American Legion cook fish on Friday and Saturday. Henderson hopes to display digital photos of local servicemembers on a television screen so visitors ordering fish sandwiches can see local community members who served. She also hopes the display will encourage others to contribute photos of their own family members to the military tree display.
 
Henderson said she plans to continue supporting the Auxiliary in any way she can and to keep serving veterans whenever possible. She also plans to keep the military tree growing — even if it eventually requires a larger tree.