Veterans will be honored by communities across the North Olympic Peninsula Thursday as the nation observes Veterans Day.
The U.S. Coast Guard will host the region’s largest ceremony Thursday morning at Group/Air Station Port Angeles on Ediz Hook.
The Coast Guard facility was designated by the Department of Veterans Affairs as a regional Veterans Day observance site.
The ninth annual ceremony begins at 10 a.m. and is open to the public. Participation by veterans is encouraged.
Retired Army Master Sgt. Bill Schrier will be this year’s keynote speaker, sponsored by the Clallam County Veterans Association.
The program includes performances by the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team from Washington, D.C., the Port Angeles High School band, the Strait Men’s Chorus, and the Grand Olympics Chorus of Sweet Adelines International.
The Air Force Honor Guard will render a 21-gun salute in honor of all fallen veterans.
Group/Air Station Port Angeles will open to the public at 9:30 a.m. Parking is limited; ride sharing is recommended.
In Port Townsend, Girl Scout Troops 59 and 3012 will host their second annual “thank you” celebration for all veterans and current military members Thursday afternoon.
The gathering will be from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Girl Scout House, 838 Tyler St.
The event includes a flag ceremony, patriotic songs, and artwork and poems created by the scouts as part of their “United We Stand” badge.
Coffee and dessert will be provided.
Also in Port Townsend, Elks Lodge 317 on Thursday evening will honor Lawrence “Casty” Castellano, a life member and World War II veteran.
The event will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the lodge, 555 Otto St., with refreshments to follow.
Born in Port Townsend, 84-year-old Castellano has played “Taps” for military funerals, Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day services for more than 60 years.
Capt. Jonathan Kurtz, commander of Naval Magazine Indian Island, will speak at the event.
Next month, Sequim retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Lee Embree, a World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor, will share his photos of the attack and scenes of the war effort in New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, and the Philippines.
The presentation of his private collection, taken when he was an official Air Force photographer, is arranged by the Fellowship Committee of the Port Angeles Rotary Club.
Charlotte Frasier, who was interred with her family at the Santo Thomas University prison in Manila where Embree visited, will also speak at the presentation.
The free program, open to the public, will be from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Port Angeles public library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
