HEROES FOREVER

WASILLA — After a short jaunt to the cemetery from the Wasilla Post Office, family and friends of Clarence Michaelson gathered around his grave to pay their respects.

Every year the veterans groups in Wasilla eulogize one of their own on Memorial Day. Michaelson was a fixture at VFW Post 9365, where he served in numerous capacities, including multiple stints as commander, said his daughter, Leslie Michaelson.

His wife, Susan Michaelson, said she’d asked that her husband be memorialized this year and the family was very honored when the VFW post agreed.

Michaelson moved north in 1952. He served in the Navy and worked locally as a dump truck driver and as a police officer. He died in April 2009.

Most everyone who attended his service could also be seen two hours later at the Veteran’s Wall of Honor outside of the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau’s visitors center where the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association’s Alaska Chapter staged this year’s ceremony.

Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright, himself a veteran, was among those who stood in that circle around Michaelson’s grave. He also gave one of many addresses at the Wall of Honor. His speech recalled Memorial Day ceremonies of his youth.

“Among us were the men of the first world war, who were no older than I am now,” he said. There were even some from the Spanish American War in attendance.

“We eulogize them, but the words quickly pass on the winds. You here are the eulogy,” Rupright said. “Keep them in your hearts and prayers. God bless the United States and God bless you.”

Also giving speeches were representatives from the offices of Wasilla state Sen. Linda Menard and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

State Rep. Carl Gatto read a statement from U.S. Rep Don Young, which he prefaced by remembering that fighter jets used to fly over the ceremony in years past.

“Some of you might have noticed that there’s been a pair of eagles circling for almost the whole ceremony. I don’t know if that’s a sign, but I’m taking it as one,” Gatto said.

Laddie Shaw, a former state director of Veterans Affairs, former head of the Alaska Police Standards Council and a former Navy “frogman” who served in Vietnam, stumbled over his emotions at times, as a number of speakers did.

He said he carries with him memories of friends he lost in combat and those he served with who died as civilians.

“Memorial Day just amplifies the pain,” he said.

But memorializing the dead is something that must be done. He underlined its importance by pointing out that his generation of veterans was ostracized when they returned home.

“Never again shall one generation of warriors forget another,” Shaw said.

Shaw shared with the crowd an experience he had at a clinic in Vietnam that served Vietcong and North Vietnamese veterans. These were people he fought against during his two tours. It was a frosty meeting at first. No one knew how to start the conversation. That is, until one of the Marines with Shaw was told that some of the Vietnamese in the room had fought at Khe Sanh.

“I want to know which one of you little bastards shot me,” the Marine said.

With that, the ice was broken.

“This is an opportunity I don’t think this generation will have, to hug your enemy. And it was overwhelming,” he said.

His speech also contained a tally of Alaskan lives lost in the current, ongoing wars and a brief rundown of the circumstances surrounding the most current casualties.

“The sacrifices continue. Please, let’s never forget,” Shaw urged the crowd.