Marine Corps gunnery sergeant says Alaska's support for the military is special
If there's one thing Marine Gunnery Sgt. Ron Holmes likes about Alaska, other than the stunning scenery and numerous opportunities to ski, it's how friendly people are, especially toward the military.
Holmes, 33, is one of the few active-duty Marines stationed in Alaska. He works out of an office at Elmendorf Air Force Base, helping train Alaskans -- chefs, students, police officers, business owners, North Slope and construction workers -- who are Marine reservists in Echo Company, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, which was activated in November.
About 40 Alaskans in the company -- almost all of them reservists -- are currently in Iraq. A handful of others have already been there and come back.
One young Marine, a 22-year-old man from Salcha, was killed by a land mine in western Iraq. Lance Cpl. Jeremiah Kinchen is the first Alaskan killed in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the Department of Defense.
"It hurts when you lose a brother," Holmes said Saturday, while hanging out at a friend's house. "You keep it with you forever."
Holmes recently returned from the Middle East; he won't say precisely where he was. On Friday, he helped Mayor Mark Begich's wife, Deborah Bonito, kick off a support-our-troops campaign, which involved hanging yellow ribbons from City Hall and other municipal buildings.
Bonito also worked with local businesses, particularly the Dimond Center, which offered free activities for military personnel and their families on Saturday, Armed Forces Day.
"We want our military families to know that the city and our citizens appreciate the sacrifices they are making, and we are here to help," Bonito said in a written statement about the campaign.
Many servicemen and women took advantage of the festivities Saturday, according to businesses involved.
"We have been absolutely busy since a little after 11 this morning," said Brittany Petry, a cashier at the bowling alley at the Dimond Center, which let military personnel bowl for free Saturday with a military ID.
Across town, about 75 servicemen and women and their families took advantage of a free day at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Many others visited the Imaginarium downtown, a worker there said.
Holmes, who has been a Marine for about 15 years, said it's just such thoughtful gestures that set Alaska apart from other places he's been stationed. "When I retire, I'm going to retire here," Holmes said.
He offered several examples of the goodwill, including the loads of supplies that people from around the state have donated to Echo Company in recent weeks for them to send to their 40 Marines overseas.
The stuff includes jerky, candy, razors, shaving cream, electrical tape, stationary -- even some DVDs and CDs, Holmes said. "The turnout has been fantastic."
The group of reservists left five months ago after some focused training and is likely due back between November and January, Holmes said.
Holmes, who has been stationed in Alaska for four years but has been coming here to do cold-weather training long before that, is slated to be transferred back East at the end of the summer.
He said the coming months will actually be his first summer in Alaska, because for all of the past ones he's been deployed somewhere else.
He said he's looking forward to riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle (which is how he spent his Armed Forces Day on Saturday).
Holmes said planning how to customize the bike is what helped him get through rough times in the Middle East. Holmes expects to return to the region around February.
Despite the hazards, he said, he loves his job and has forged lifelong friendships with the local people he's met while serving in "the sandbox."
"They're just like us," he said. "They go to school. They play sports. They watch TV."
Daily News reporter Tataboline Brant can be reached at tbrant@adn.com or 257-4321.
