A ceremony set for May 12 will draw guest speakers from federal and state veterans’ agencies to the Wrangell High School gymnasium.
Monday’s planned ceremony will honor veterans of all stripes, according to Rhonda Christian who organized the ceremony with assistance from the Alaska Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, the American Legion, the local Boy Scouts and other community groups. The presentation will start at 6 p.m. with an introduction by Forrest E. Powell III of Alaska Veterans Affairs, followed by a welcome by Mayor David Jack. The event’s keynote speaker will be Major General Thomas Katkus, a commissioner at the Department and graduate of the US Army’s War College.
Vietnam veterans are listed in a sample program for the event, particularly Private First Class David Dee Brown, Jr., who is from Wrangell, though the ceremony intends to honor veterans from all wars, according to Christian.
“This is a big event,” she said. “It’s to honor all veterans.”
Work on the event began after Christian was appointed Tribal Veteran Representative by the Wrangell Cooperative Association and her work benefits all veterans. After receiving some training, she began working with local veterans.
“The number one goal was to make sure everybody is
remembered and honored for our freedom that we all share today and the great sacrifice that they made for our country,” she said. “Number two goal is – I’m going to have a special meeting, a
two- or three-day seminar for veterans with disabilities. Things have changed, and there’s just a lot out there that Wrangell’s not getting.”
She also plans an outreach to register the more than 200 veterans in the Wrangell area as a third phase.
The last time a similar event took place was in 1970 making it 44 years since the last large-scale state recognition in Wrangell.
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