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Honoring veterans

Bill Hager of National Mine, the 2021 Upper Peninsula Veteran of the Year, speaks during Friday’s POW/MIA Recognition Day at the Michigan Veterans Homes D.J. Jacobetti in Marquette. National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday in September. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Veteran Homes)

MARQUETTE — Veterans who experienced a particularly hard ordeal in combat were honored when Michigan Veteran Homes D.J. Jacobetti hosted a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day ceremony on Friday.

The home is located at 425 Fisher St., Marquette.

The recognition ceremony included remarks by Cary Lincoln, director of nursing for Jacobetti; U.S. Army veteran Bill Hager, who was recently named Upper Peninsula Veteran of the Year; and U.S. Air Force veteran and Jacobetti chaplain, Dr. Jim Elenbaas.

The ceremony included a posting of the colors led by the Jacobetti veteran facility coordinators, a performance of Taps led by U.S. Navy veteran Charlie Hawes and music by soloist Lois Westman, a Jacobetti veteran facility coordinator.

Former POW and Korean War veteran Willis W. Remus, a resident member of the home, was recognized during the ceremony. As a private in the U.S. Army, Remus was held as a POW after he was captured during the Korean War on May 18, 1951, and was held until his release on Aug. 19, 1953, after the signing of the Korean Armistice.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday in September and is a time to remember the sacrifices of POWs and service members who are MIA. On March 28, 1988, Ronald Reagan signed into law a separate holiday for National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, which is observed annually on April 9.

Michigan Veteran Homes provides day-to-day operational oversight of the state’s veteran homes on behalf of the Michigan Veterans Facility Authority and is a branch of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

MVH strives to ensure that quality long-term care is provided to veterans and their eligible family members who live within the homes.

MVH operates the Michigan Veteran Homes D.J. Jacobetti, Michigan Veteran Homes in Grand Rapids and the new Michigan Veteran Homes in downstate Chesterfield Township.

For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mvh.

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