|
 |
|
|
|
Pearl Harbor Veteran To Help Light "Tree of Remembrance" |
|
|
|
Written On: December 4, 2001 |
|
|
|
Written By: Richard Davis |
|
|
|
Olympia – Roy Minick, a veteran of Pearl Harbor and World War II, will be the special guest at the annual tree lighting ceremony to be held in the Capitol Rotunda at 6 p.m. Friday (Dec. 7). The event is co-sponsored by the Association of Washington Business and the Department of General Administration, which oversees the Capitol Grounds.
AWB has traditionally sponsored the holiday tree as a fundraiser for rural families. This year’s effort raised about $10,000, most of which will be given to rural firefighters to distribute in their areas.
Once again, the tree, a 30-foot Noble Fir, is being donated by Weyerhaeuser from its Enumclaw tree farm.
A Shelton resident, Minick, 80, was shipfitter aboard the USS Whitney, a fire and rescue ship based at Pearl Harbor.
In addition to marking the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day, this year’s tree will also mark the tragic events of September 11 in New York and Washington, D.C.
In honor of both dates, this year’s tree is called the “Tree of Remembrance.”
“While our holiday season is usually a joyous time of celebration, this year’s is bittersweet,” said AWB President Don Brunell. “We want to take the time this year to honor the memory of those who have sacrificed for us. When we talk of sacrifice, we generally refer to our military veterans, but the tragic events of this year also remind us of the daily risk faced by our firefighters, law enforcement officers and other emergency rescue personnel.”
This will be the last tree in the Rotunda for the next several years due to the extensive remodeling scheduled for the building next year.
“We invite the community to share this ceremony with us,” Brunell said. “It is our way of contributing to the spirit of the season.”
|
|
|
|
