KITSAP NAVY NEWS
Friday, April 4, 2014
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Kitsap County shows appreciation for military BY LESLIE KELLY LKELLY@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
More than 2,600 people attended this year’s Military Appreciation Day last Saturday at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. The event was a big “thank you” for service members, veterans and their families, all who were able to register for prizes, get information about local businesses and take part in free give-aways, including massages, roast beef sandwiches and games. The free event was hosted by the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce and included an informational fair, entertainment and speakers from the local civilian and military
Brian Kelly photo
Mrs. Washington United States Regan Weigel poses with Marines at this year’s Military Appreciation Day. community. The commanding officer of Nimitz-class aircraft car-
rier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), Capt. Michael Wettlaufer, said the event
helped strengthen the relationship between the local and military communities. “We (military service members and families) found out what’s available in the local community and get to know our neighbors,” said Wettlaufer. “In the end it makes the relationship between Stennis, the Navy and Kitsap County much closer.” U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer and Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent also spoke, offering thanks to the local military and letting them know how important the military is to the community. More than 100 booths and displays were set up in the pavilion by local businesses,
colleges and military organizations to help educate military members and their families on various opportunities for service members throughout Kitsap County. “This event shows (service members) what’s available in the area,” said Hospital Corpsman Seaman Dustin Baldwin, a volunteer at the Naval Hospital Bremerton booth. “We (Naval Hospital Bremerton) can use this event to network and reach out to the military community so they know what services the hospital has available to them.” “Most of the people who live here are former military,” said Angela Sell, the master of ceremonies, “So we respect
and welcome our active duty members and veterans because we have been in their shoes.” Throughout the day, entertainment was provided by local dance groups from the Galletta School of Dance, the Northwest School of Dance and Ted Brown Music students. Also on display were military vehicles, including a 33-foot special purpose craft law enforcement boat used by the U.S. Coast Guard in Kitsap Peninsula waters. This was the first year for the Coast Guard to join other military branches in the event. The Navy, Marines, Army and Air Force were represented as well.
Surf Shop and USMC stickers — like I remember my grandparents’ brown Volvo station wagon coming up the street. Marc’s wheelchair was simply part of my elementary school experience — long before “inclusion” was a word tossed around in newspaper editorials. And Marc’s mom, Mrs. Tace, became somewhat like a beloved “aunt” I looked forward to seeing in the school hallway as she helped Marc with the things that he needed. There she’d come down
the hall, dressed in a jeweled sweatshirt with the American flag on it, singing something like, “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family” to me, and Marc would roll his eyes with feigned embarrassment. But my favorite memory of Mrs. Tace and Marc was when they found me crying in the hallway of the junior h i g h school.
In life and death, Marines and fathers are always there I wrote the following column in 2005 after my friend Marc Tace died of Muscular Dystrophy. This week marks 20 years since Marc’s dad, a Marine Colonel, died of a heart attack while serving overseas. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Marc and his family. On Thursday, I was invited to have brunch at the Commandant of the Marine Corps’ house due to my book, Dinner with the Smileys, being included in the First Lady of the Marine Corps’ recommended read-
ing list. Marc’s mom, Heather Tace, is one of the proudest Marine wives I’ve ever known. Much of what I know about the USMC and its culture comes from Mrs. Tace. This also is the time of year when many restaurants and convenience stores run their annual Muscular Dystrophy Association shamrock fundraiser. With these things in mind, I (re)introduce to you the Tace family: Like most military children, Marc Tace knew how
to wait. He knew how to wait for his Marine Corps dad’s next job, his next homecoming, and the next deployment. Marc knew how to wait even when his dad’s absences could only be explained by the words Semper Fi. And for a child who’s missing his dad, that’s a hard concept. But unlike most military children, Marc waited without moving. Diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at the age of four, Marc was wheelchairbound by the time he and I
Navy Wise
Sarah Smiley were in elementary school. I remember his wheelchair — decked out with 17th Street
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