Welcome home, vets

PALMER — It was a simple ceremony Friday recognizing area veterans for simply doing their duty. For the packed house at the Veterans and Pioneers Home and the 30 guests of honor, the message was also simple: welcome home.

Making sure all military veterans, regardless of when they served or in which branch, receive a proper and respectful message of thanks and welcome is represented by the Alaska Honorable Service Medal. On Friday, 30 area veterans were presented their medals.

Modeled after a similar program in Oregon, Wasilla resident and Veterans Aviation Outreach founder Maurice Bailey brought the idea to Alaska. Without pomp or circumstance, Bailey said every veteran, no matter in what capacity or how long ago they served, deserves to hear someone say “welcome home.”

“We all benefit from the freedom and liberty you provide,” Bailey told the veterans gathered at the Pioneers and Veterans Home.

“We haven’t forgotten their service,” added Jerry Beale, state Veterans Affairs administrator, who is also an Honorable Service Medal recipient. “I certainly wear my medal proudly.”

Beale also said that, unlike some other military honors, the Honorable Service Medal is for anyone who serves, whether they see combat action or not.

“These guys were in a war too,” he said of military support roles. “They were in World War II, Korea, Vietnam. For me, it’s simple. Veterans and military go where they’re ordered. These [veterans] served their country. They do their best to make the country the best it can be.”

As Friday’s medal recipients were introduced, each with a personal welcome home message from another veteran, an emotional audience applauded. Many were wheelchair-bound and decades removed for their military service, while others were recently returned from overseas duty.

They all have something in common, Beale said. “The soldier has the most to lose and is the first to lose.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.