Veterans wore service patches on their jackets beside regalia from their respective clans during the Southeast Alaska Native Veterans Memorial Day service on Monday.<\/p>\n
Nearly 100 community members came out to the Southeast Alaska Native Veterans Memorial Park in the Willoughby District to honor the lives of 12 servicemen from the region who lost their lives serving their nation.<\/p>\n
It was a cold ceremony interrupted by rain, but Richard Peterson, president of the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, said sitting in the rain was a small sacrifice to pay in comparison to what others have given.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds like a cliche thing to say, but it\u2019s true \u2014 they paid the ultimate sacrifice,\u201d Peterson said, adding that it is especially important to remember the Native community on Memorial Day considering the rate at which they have served this country.<\/p>\n
Alaska Natives and American Indians have the highest rate of military service during the past 200 years of any ethnic group per capita in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.<\/p>\n
During Monday\u2019s ceremony hosted by the Southeast Alaska Native Veterans group, 12 servicemen from across Southeast Alaska were recognized for their ultimate sacrifice. Their names were read aloud during roll call, then, symbolically, Commander William \u201cOzzie\u201d Sheakley sent their names into a bentwood box beneath the Memorial Park\u2019s totem pole.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow their names are going into the box to be protected by Eagle and by Raven,\u201d Sheakley said.<\/p>\n
Sheakley said he organizes the Southeast Alaska Memorial Day service each year, but he never knows in advance who will show up or if anyone will show up at all. Without him asking, each year veterans from across Southeast Alaska arrive to honor the fallen soldiers, and this year was no different.<\/p>\n
One veteran who didn\u2019t travel far to attend the service, but who has certainly traveled during his own military service, was Col. Pat Carothers. Carothers served during the World War II and in the Korean and Vietnam wars. On Monday, he served his comrades once more by laying a wreath in the Memorial Park.<\/p>\n
Peterson said Central Council is working to expand the park that commemorates the lives of lost Southeast Alaska Natives and is currently accepting bids from architects to add benches and other pieces to the area for this time next year when friends and family gather to honor those who died for their freedom.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the list of Southeast Alaska Natives who died serving their nation:<\/strong><\/p>\n Clinton A. Cook \u2014 Hydaburg<\/p>\n Charles Gamble Jr.<\/a> \u00ad\u2014 Juneau<\/p>\n Donald H. Kito \u2014 Petersburg<\/p>\n Norman L. Linley \u2014 Craig (Douglas)<\/p>\n Norman F. Ridley \u2014 Metlakatla<\/p>\n Ronald A. Greenwald \u2014 Hoonah (Mt. Vernon)<\/p>\n Charles E. Brown \u2014 Thorne Bay<\/p>\n David D. Brown \u2014 Wrangell<\/p>\n Donald W. Sperl \u2014 Juneau<\/p>\n William A. Thompson \u2014 Ketchikan<\/p>\n Arthur J. Whitney Jr. \u2014 Ketchikan<\/p>\n Charlie Johnny, WWII \u2014 Hoonah<\/p>\n \u2022 Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n Related stories:<\/p>\n Alaska Native military service recognized<\/a><\/p>\n VA secretary pays tribute to WWII Alaska Native militia<\/a><\/p>\n