Veterans honored Saturday in Jefferson County

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A Veterans Day program at the American Legion Marvin G. Shields Memorial Post 26 in Port Townsend and an honor ceremony for Shields in Gardiner are set for this Saturday, Nov. 11.

The annual Legion program begins at 10:30 a.m. with a pre-ceremony concert by the Port Townsend Summer Band, conducted by Legion member Karl Bach. The Legion is located at 209 Monroe St. The post’s ceremony begins at 11 a.m. A buffet provided by Legion members and their families is to be served afterward.

Two special events are scheduled for the ceremony: The post is to present a Legionnaire of the Year award to one of its members, and Quilts of Valor Foundation members are to present quilts to 29 local military veterans.

Veterans to receive these quilts were selected by a drawing from names submitted by the American Legion, friends and neighbors.

EVENT IN GARDINER

The ceremony for Petty Officer Marvin G. Shields is planned for 11 a.m. at Shields’ grave at the Gardiner Cemetery, 137 Gardiner Cemetery Road. The ceremony is hosted by Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Northwest.

“A hero is defined as a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character,” said Capt. Chris Kurgan, commanding officer of NAVFAC Northwest in a press release.

“The actions Shields took to save his friends went far beyond any Seabee training that he had received, they were part of his DNA, his personal ethics and moral compass. He didn’t think to save himself; his thoughts were for his friends and what he could do to save them,” Kurgan continued.

Shields died during the Vietnam War after supporting his camp mates first. He continues to be the only Seabee to have been awarded the Medal of Honor and the first sailor killed in the Vietnam War to have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

This year’s guest speaker is Rear Adm. John Korka, who currently is the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific commander and the regional engineer for the Pacific fleet.

General parking for this event is available at the Gardiner Community Center with ADA parking at the cemetery.

Along with Shields, other veterans buried at the ceremony are to be honored, with flags displayed on every veteran’s grave site. If anyone wishes to share in placing the flags on the grave sites, they are invited to arrive at 9 a.m.