I hope to see all of you lining Washington Street for the Irrigation Festival parade! All please remember to stand, and gentlemen remove your caps, when the American flag passes by. We veterans always love hearing you give us a “shout out.” Thank you for your respect for the flag and for our service.

 

The American Legion will be placing flags on veterans’ graves in Sequim View and Dungeness cemeteries on Sunday, May 29, starting around 9 a.m. If you would like to help, give me a call at 683-6419. We also need help late Monday afternoon to retrieve the flags.

 

The services for Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, begin at 11 a.m. at Sequim View Cemetery conducted by the VFW and American Legion. All are welcome to attend. The American Legion will go on to Jamestown Cemetery, Dungeness and Blue Mountain cemeteries. The VFW will conduct services at Pioneer Park and in Blyn. Contact American Legion Chaplain Frank Clatanoff at Kclatsy@wmconnect.com for details.

Congrats to P.A. cadets

The Port Angeles High School NJROTC unit has received the Navy’s highest award, the Distinguished Unit with Honors. One-third of the cadets are on the honor roll; during the annual military inspection the unit received the Navy’s “Bravo Zulu” award in all areas of personnel inspection, operations, administration and academics.

 

The unit performed more than 2,000 hours of community service and helped raise over $23,000 for nonprofit organizations; the unit placed in every category of competition in Military Drill, Color Guard, Physical Fitness and Air Rifle against other JROTC Units in the state, western region and national championships.

 

The cadets will be recognized at the awards ceremony at 11 a.m. on June 4, at the Port Angeles High School gym, 304 E. Park Ave. All are welcome to attend. I will be presenting the Military Officers Association Leadership medals, the DAR medal and the Commander Gilchrist Medal for community service. Show the youths they have done a great job by coming out and giving them applause and filling up the bleachers!

Kudos to our community

I want to thank all of you who have given clothes, hygiene articles, etc., for the Forks Stand-Down. I will give you a report next month on how many helped, etc. Also thanks for the donations to Sarge’s Place. I will let you know what else they need after they do an inventory of what I’m taking them.

 

On a personal note — I had the honor of taking Mary Reid, a nurse during the Korean War, to visit the Washington State Veterans Home at Retsil in Port Orchard so she could personally present crocheted afghans she had made to some of the lady veterans. We met Grace, a nurse from World War II, who is 99.

 

What a delightful visit we had; and Grace assured us that this was the best place to live! I still am collecting puzzles, paperbacks, games, stationery with stamps, full-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothpaste for these folks. If you have anything to contribute, call me at 683-6419. And yes, there are people there who used to live here on the peninsula, and whose families still live here, and I have been thanked by family members for all that we do!

 

I hope to see you Monday, May 30, at 11 a.m. at Sequim View Cemetery. Your presence tells the families that the service of their loved ones was not in vain and is respected and appreciated.

 

Contributors: DAR, Regent, Patricia Graham, pattyg@wavecable.com; American Legion and MOAA, Lorri Gilchrist, cdrlgilchrist@gmail.com; VFW Commander Roger Padie, commander@vfwpost4760.com; Marine Corps League, Terry Roth, mroth@olypen.com; Korean War Veterans, Jerry Rettela, eletteor@msn.com.