Steve Kwarciany named 2026 U.P. Veteran of the Year
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MARQUETTE -- This year's Upper Peninsula Veteran of the Year is Steve Kwarciany of Delta County. He will be honored at the U.P. Veteran of the Year ceremony, which begins at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 20 at the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds in Escanaba.
Kwarciany's record of service reflects the very best of the veteran community: commitment, humility, leadership and a tireless willingness to serve others. For more than 10 years, he has been an active and trusted presence in veteran organizations throughout Delta County and across the Upper Peninsula.
Kwarciany is a Life Member of VFW Hiawatha Post 2998, AMVETS Escanaba Post 123, DAV Delta County Chapter 24 and Bark River American Legion Post 438. He has also served with the Delta County Veterans Council since March 2017, the Delta County Soldiers and Sailors Relief Committee from 2021 to 2025, the Delta County Michigan Veterans Trust Fund Committee from 2021 to present and the Delta County Department of Veterans Affairs Committee from 2025 to the present.
Kwarciany's leadership has been equally distinguished. He has served as Commander of the Delta County Veterans Council from 2020 to the present, previously serving as Senior Vice Commander from 2018 to 2020. He has served as Senior Vice Commander of DAV Chapter 24 since 2021, Quartermaster of VFW Post 2998 since 2020 and Board Chairman of the Delta County Department of Veterans Affairs from 2025 to the present.
Kwarciany's service has helped shape lasting support for veterans in Delta County. In recent years, he played an important role in the successful ballot referendum that helped establish the Delta County Department of Veterans Affairs. Following that effort, he was selected to serve on the Department of Veterans Affairs Committee and was elected Board Chairman.
Kwarciany's commitment reaches far beyond meetings and titles. He serves his fellow veterans and his community through the Upper Peninsula Honor Flight Welcome Home Honor Guard, as Director of the Delta County Veterans Council's annual Memorial Day, POW/MIA Recognition Day and Veterans Day ceremonies, and as Funeral Honor Guard Commander for the Delta County Veterans Council. He also serves as a Funeral Honor Guard member with Bark River American Legion Post 438.
Through VFW Post 2998, Kwarciany coordinates the annual Poppy Sale, helping sustain one of the most meaningful symbols of remembrance and veteran support. Through DAV Chapter 24, he contributes as a Unit Raffle Tickets Prizes Committee member, and through the Bark River Lions Club, he has served since October 2017, advancing through leadership roles as Third Vice President, Second Vice President, First Vice President and President beginning in 2026.
Kwarciany's community service also includes serving as Committee Chairman for the U.P. Off Road Races and as advisor to the Bark River-Harris Leo Club, where he continues to model service, citizenship and leadership for the next generation.
What sets Kwarciany apart is not only the number of organizations he serves, but the way he serves them. His leadership, experience, communication skills, attention to detail and genuine care for others have earned him the respect of fellow veterans, community members and all who have worked alongside him. Whether mentoring members of veterans' organizations, encouraging young people during his time as a Bark River-Harris school bus driver, or sharing lessons learned through military service, Americanism, and volunteerism, Steve has consistently shown what it means to live a life of purpose beyond oneself.
For his unwavering devotion to veterans, his exceptional leadership, and his enduring service to the Upper Peninsula community, Retired Air Force Master Sergeant Steve Kwarciany is most deserving of the distinguished honor of being named the 2026 Upper Peninsula Veteran of the Year.