Anchorage Assembly recognizes Nov. 11 as Veterans Day, honoring Alaska veterans

The Anchorage Assembly passed a resolution Wednesday, Nov. 4, recognizing Nov. 11 as Veterans Day, celebrating all U.S. military veterans and honoring Alaska veterans for their service.

Assembly Chair Anna Brawley, Vice Chair Daniel Volland, six other Assembly members and Mayor Suzanne LaFrance sponsored the measure.

The resolution states that an estimated one in ten Alaska residents has served in the armed forces. It says Anchorage's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the largest U.S. military installation in Alaska, is home to 32,000 service members, families and civilian personnel.

The resolution notes that Armistice Day began in 1918 as a day to reflect on those who died in the country's service and later became Veterans Day, honoring all veterans of all wars.

It also cites Alaska's military history: the Cold War Nike Hercules anti-aircraft missile systems, the Aleutian Islands Campaign and the Aleutian Tigers, and the Alaska Territorial Guard of World War II. It says today's service members help monitor and protect the Northwest of the U.S., and that Alaska is one of the military's most desirable duty stations, with many new recruits choosing it as their first.

The resolution points residents to a Nov. 11 ceremony on the base and to the Anchorage Veterans Museum.

The Assembly passed a resolution with nearly the same wording at its Nov. 4, 2025, meeting. In September, it recognized Sept. 20 as LGBTQ Veterans Day.