Veterans remembered in AK Guard ceremony

The Alaska Army National Guard held a memorial service at the James and Elsie Nolan Center on Monday, March 18 to remember the Wrangellites that served in the Alaska Territorial Guard – and to present two flags in memory of our soldiers.

Corporal Jeremy Goff and Specialist Serita Johnson comprised the Honor Guard and presented flags to veterans Arnold “Cappy” Bakke and Kjell Nore, Sr. Bakke received a flag on behalf of Wrangell’s American Legion Post No. 6, while Nore was presented with a flag in remembrance of a family member, Private Palmer Nore.

As the corporal leading the Honor Guard, Goff made the presentations on behalf of President Barack Obama – and handed the flags over with a solemn statement.

“On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Army and a grateful nation, please accept this flag for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service,” Goff said.

Nore, who served as a Private in ATG, was also the recipient of the Alaska Territorial Guard Service Medal and a commemorative coin from Governor Sean Parnell’s office in September. The presentation was made in honor of Nore’s five-year service stint between 1942-47.

Father Thomas Weise of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church is a member of the American Legion and served in the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. After the ceremony, he explained why he felt it was an important event for the soldiers of Wrangell – past and present.

“I found it really important to honor those who have gone before us either in the service of the country and dying, or by returning home to the regular population as so many did after World War II,” Weise said. “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the ATG because they defended Alaska soil when we were invaded for the first time in a century.”