Sultan community to honor veterans

Through song, prayer and steadfast respect for members of the military, Veterans Day in the community of Sultan is a celebration of pride, duty and honor. 

Hosted by the city of Sultan and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post No. 2554, the fifth annual community Veterans Day Ceremony takes place at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at Sultan’s All Veterans Memorial Wall. The event is coordinated by the Sultan Veterans Day Ceremony Committee, which is headed up by co-chairs Sgt. First Class Dave Sivewright and his wife, Christina, also known as the Highway 2 Freedom Runner and the founder of Sultan’s American Flag project, respectively. The event combines reverence for members of the U.S. Armed Forces with Sultan’s unique flair for community, offering performances by students and presentations by local elected officials.  

Veterans Day is a distinct holiday, as it honors and celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. It differs greatly from Memorial Day, held at the end of May, which honors soldiers who died while serving their country. Veterans Day is important in that it provides the opportunity for civilians to thank both past and present service members for the sacrifices made while serving their country.  

The Sivewrights, with help from local volunteers, will post 150 American flags in areas along Sultan’s Main Street and on U.S. 2 to help celebrate the day. The flags are the result of Christina’s American Flag project, an award-winning Sultan-based initiative that used crowdfunding to help build a sense of patriotism in the city. 

Each donor is recognized with an individual brass plate fastened to the flagpole.    

This year’s event includes a formal welcome by Dave Sivewright, after which the colors will be presented by Sultan Cub Scout Pack 52. The National Anthem will be performed by local business owner Joe Slick, accompanied by students from Sultan Elementary School.  

Other musical performances will include the Sultan Middle School choir performing “God Bless the USA,” Renelle Addington and Guen Neigel performing TAPS and Collin Dazey on the bagpipes.

Sultan VFW Commander Chuck Donahue will lead the Pledge of Allegiance and Post No. 2554 member Mike Shearin will give a presentation about Veterans Day. 

In a presentation by Sivewright, local veterans will be recognized individually for their service. 

The ceremony includes a presentation by Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick, and former Sultan Mayor C.H. Rowe will share the origins of Sultan’s All Veterans Memorial Wall. While its nomenclature includes the term “memorial,” a veteran does not have to have passed away to earn a place of distinction on the wall. Additionally, names will be added to the wall regardless of the veteran or family member’s ability to pay.  

The principal speaker is Jerry Gadek, a veterans services officer with the Snohomish County Human Services Department. Gadek, who spent 22 years in the Air Force, has become an advocate for veterans in crisis with an emphasis on addressing homelessness. He helps coordinate the county’s Veterans Assistance Fund, which provides emergency financial assistance to honorably discharged veterans in the amount of around $500,000 per year. 

The invocation will be done by Mountainview Christian Fellowship Pastor Sean Wilkerson, with closing remarks and prayer from Crosswater Community Church Pastor Aaron Day. 

After the close of the ceremony, a reception takes place in council chambers at Sultan City Hall. The reception will include refreshments and historical military artifacts and other service mementos displayed by the Sky Valley Historical Society and residents.  

For more information on Sultan’s Veterans Day Ceremony, contact sivewrightd@outlook.com.