A simple message: Thank you, veterans

PALMER — It’s been 66 years since Kay Losiewski was deployed overseas to support American troops fighting in World War II.

A 1st lieutenant and nurse, Losiewski spent two years in the Army from 1944 to 1946 — a relatively short span of time considering the decades that have since passed, but a crucial time that helped shape the rest of her life.

During the war and since, Losiewski has been proud of her service, efforts she downplays as just doing her job. On Thursday, she and more than a dozen other veterans received one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed on a veteran — a thank you.

In all, 16 veterans of various times of service were awarded the Alaska Veterans Service Medal at a ceremony at the Alaska Veterans and Pioneers Home in Palmer. It’s an honor reserved for anybody who’s ever served the United States in the military.

“It is our pleasure to honor your service on behalf of every citizen in our state that benefits from the umbrella of liberty and freedom that you, veterans, provide,” said Dave Alvarez, a representative of Veterans Aviation Outreach, which presented the medals. “This medal is currently being worn in Iraq and Afghanistan, where it is a good luck charm in that no one wearing the medal has been injured or killed in action.”

The mission of the service medal is simple, Alvarez said.

“It is very important that we welcome them home and how we welcome them home,” he said. “Most veterans never receive a ticker tape parade. Most are never thanked for their service and sacrifices. A soldier has the most to lose and is the first to lose the most in war.”

For Losiewski, being recognized for her contributions during World War II made her feel humble, proud and emotional.

“I felt like I didn’t deserve a medal, because I was doing exactly what I wanted to do at the time,” she said.

Lars Nelson, a veteran who served in the 50th Army Postal Unit from 1950 to 1952, echoed Losiewski’s feelings.

“Just doing what I was supposed to, I guess,” he said about his service.

The best thing anyone can say to a veteran is “thank you,” she said. “They said it to me today, I know they did. I’m all choked up.”

One of the 16 singled out on Thursday was Palmer’s Johan Johnson, a Colonist born in the Valley in 1935. Although Johnson has passed away, his nephew, Erik Johnson, was on hand to accept the service medal.

“It’s just nice that he’s recognized,” Erik Johnson said. “He was a quiet man, so we never heard many stories about his service.”

Veterans Aviation Outreach has been spearheading the local effort to award service medals. Thursday was the first Veterans Day for Ann Bailey without her husband and VAO founder Maurice “Mo” Bailey, who died in July following a long battle with leukemia. A tireless advocate for Alaska veterans, Mo Bailey was at the Veterans and Pioneers Home in spirit, his wife said.

“It’s an honor to be here and do this on Veterans Day on behalf of my husband,” she said, wearing his familiar brown leather flight jacket. “It was very important that Veterans Aviation Outreach keep going. That’s what he worked hard to do.”

She admitted before the ceremony she “might get emotional,” and that “Mo would be here if he could, and he’d love it. I hope he’s watching.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.