Alaska News

Highway pays tribute to military wounded

DELTA JUNCTION -- The Alaska Highway from Fairbanks to the Canadian border will be designated part of the nationwide Purple Heart Trail at an 11 a.m. ceremony Saturday at Delta Junction's visitors' center.

Forty-five states have had sections of their road systems designated part of the trail, a visible tribute to the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart medal for being wounded in battle, killed in action or killed by wounds received in action.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart established the trail in 1992. The organization is a sponsor of Saturday's event with the state Department of Transportation and the town of Delta Junction.

The Alaska portion of the trail is being denoted with signs at roughly 50-mile intervals along the highway.

State Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker Saturday, said Ron Siebels, national trail coordinator for the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Ellis sponsored the bill that designated the trail in Alaska. The bill passed the Legislature unanimously last year.

The Vietnam Motorcycle Club will conduct its Fallen Warrior ceremony as well, Siebels said. Saturday is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of mainland Europe during World War II.

The Delta Junction event is free and open to the public.

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