A crowd of about 1,000 gathered to honor veterans at the Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles on Sunday.
At the same time, an observance was held in Port Townsend at the Marvin G. Shields Memorial Post 26 American Legion Hall at Monroe and Water streets.
In the Port Angeles ceremony, Capt. Scott Pollock, commander of the air station on Ediz Hook, offered his thanks.
“This is a time to show our gratitude for the freedoms we possess, that we so freely express, that are only possible because of those who defend them,” he told the crowd.
This year’s version of the Coast Guard’s annual North Olympic Peninsula Veterans Day ceremony focused on World War II veterans.
A slideshow narrated by Cmdr. Eric Vogelbacher took the audience through the days preceding the war and the war itself.
Music was presented by Don Alward on the bagpipes, the Port Angeles High School band, the Strait Men Barbershop Chorus, and the Grand Olympics Chorus.
Allan Mitchell, a former Army private, said that although he did not fight in a war himself, he has attended the ceremony every year for eight years to honor those who did.
“I lost a lot of friends and relatives to wars, primarily World War II,” he said.
“This means that I get to honor them and those who survived.”
Members of each branch of the military were asked to stand and be honored at the ceremony.
Throughout the presentation, those who had been awarded medals were honored, including former prisoners of war and Purple Heart recipients.
Jerry Stiles, who is retired from the Navy and Air Force, fought in the Vietnam War.
“Freedom ain’t free,” the Diamond Point resident said.
“There is no greater nobility or compassion than risking lives for making others free.”
