In commemoration of the 81st anniversary of the fall of Wake Island, Bristow Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3656 (VFW) and Wake Island Memorial hosted a ceremony and wreath presentation on December 17, 2022, at noon. Due to the frigid temperatures at the time, the ceremony and subsequent meal were held inside the VFW post.
As the ceremony opened, Mistress of Ceremonies and Marine Corps League Detachment 559 Commandant Angela Maness welcomed the approximate 50 guests in attendance. The Oklahoma National Guard 145th Army Band provided music throughout the ceremonial event. The invocation was provided by Oklahoma Marine Corps League Chaplain Glen Hyde.
Following the invocation came the introduction of distinguished guests: Oklahoma Secretary of Military and Veterans Affairs John Nash, VFW Post 3656 Commander Scot Thompson, Marine Corps League Department of Oklahoma Commandant Danny Thomas, Marine Corps League Detachment 857 Commandant Weydan Flax, Brandan Clark for Oklahoma’s District 5 Representative Stephanie Bic, and Rich Holewinski, who is the son of a Wake Island marine.
United States Marine Corps Commanding Officer Major Andrew Manaois of the Oklahoma City Marine Corps recruiting station served as the ceremony’s guest speaker. Following the guest speaker, Commandant Maness performed the reading of proclamation immediately followed by the presentation of the wreath. VFW Post 3656 Commander Thompson, Commandant Thomas, and Commandant Flax presented the wreath. Chaplain Hyde then performed the benediction, followed by a moment of silence and taps played by the 145th Army Band.
Commandant Thomas presented certificates and Mistress of Ceremonies Commandant Maness ended the ceremony with closing remarks. In total, the ceremony lasted about forty-five minutes, adjourning to a light luncheon provided by VFW Post 3656 Auxiliary. The luncheon offered several varieties of sandwiches, chips and dips, punch, and cookies and cake for dessert.
To learn more about the events of Wake Island during the war, visit the Wake Island Memorial at 37033 Veterans Memorial Drive adjacent to Bristow’s Lake Massena on the southeast corner and to the southwest of the Bristow City Cemetery.