Honoring those who served at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Anchorage Senior Activity Center held a luncheon Tuesday to honor veterans on the eve of Veterans Day.

More than 100 veterans and family members attended the celebration that included live music, guest speakers and a chance to share memories.

Ninety-eight-year-old Burl Stephens may have been the oldest veteran in the room. Stephens is a World War II vet who served in the Pacific theater from 1945 to 1948. He said he’d been to many Veteran’s Day celebrations during his time.

“I wouldn’t use the word humble, but you know, it makes me proud that I was in,” Stephens said, adding he appreciated the military benefits that allowed him to go to medical school and become a practicing radiologist in Anchorage.

Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance noted the sacrifices that many in the room had made.

“You stood watch, often far from family and home, carrying burdens most of us can only imagine,” LaFrance said.

Guest Speaker Maj. Gen. Tory Saxe said it was particularly appropriate to thank whose who’s service was long ago, to let them know their efforts still matter.

“I wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be here without them,” Saxe said. “So that saying ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ — they are the giants.”

The Anchorage Senior Activity Center has held the Veteran’s Day Celebration for more than a dozen years, according to director Rebecca Parker. She said Nuvision Credit Union has been the sponsor that has made it possible for the last several years.

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