Submitted by Employment Security Department
Washington veterans will speak about their military experiences in honor of Veterans Day in a ceremony from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on November 8 on the state capitol campus.
The public is invited to gather first at the WWII Memorial to hear Army veteran Jason Matheney, director of the WorkSource office at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which helps soldiers transition to civilian life. Event attendees will then walk to the Winged Victory Monument, the POW-MIA Memorial, the Medal of Honor Monument, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and conclude at the Korean War Memorial, hearing a speaker and music at each stop.
Other speakers will be: Rhiannon Stuart of the Office of the Attorney General, David Bright of Employment Security and Katrina Stensgaard of the Washington Service Corps. In addition, Col. Kenneth A. Borchers of the Washington Air National Guard will speak about his grandfather’s service in Bastogne at the Battle of the Bulge, his time as a German POW, his Purple Heart, and how that legacy shaped future generations of the Borchers’ family.
The ceremony is the 27th annual event sponsored by the International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP), the Employment Security Department’s Veteran Employee Resource Group, and by the Washington Federation of State Employees.
Cami Feek, Employment Security’s deputy commissioner, will emcee the event. The Pacific Lutheran University Honor Guard will present the colors. Musicians Chad Stoker and Jeanette Nelson of Employment Security and Vincent Anderson of the Health Care Authority will perform patriotic songs. Members of the Tumwater High School choir also will perform. Anderson will formally end the ceremony with “Taps.”
“IAWP has been a proud sponsor of this ceremony for all of its 27 years,” said Donna Glacken, president of IAWP’s Washington chapter. “We have a wonderful variety of speakers this year who will share different perspectives from their personal experiences. Please join us!”
Flags and U.S. Marines roses will be available for participants to place at the memorials.
Featured photo credit: Diane Waiste
