Amid anguish and pride, Gold Star Families and veterans gather to honor veterans and fallen heroes

Veterans, family members and community supporters gathered Friday at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena to honor all vets, but especially those who died as a result of their service.

Music, flags, honor guards, prayers and short speeches infused a pageantry to the two commemorations that were also marked by tears and hugs as veteran families recalled their loved ones.

The Illuminating Courage Memorial outside the Arena was the scene of a flag ceremony in which Gold Star Families hoisted new flags on six poles as a crowd of about 200 people watched.

T.J. Gaia, president of the Washington State Fallen Heroes Project, helped spearhead the construction of the memorial because honoring those who served should be a “sacred moment,” he said.

After the flag-raising, Mik Cole stood in front a series of concrete sidewalk plaques with the names of six family members who have served.

Among them was the stepson he raised, Darrel J. Morris, a Marine corporal killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq in 2007. It was his second tour of duty there, Cole said.

He and his wife, Kim, were founders of the Fallen Heroes organization and leaders in the push for the memorial, which honors those who died during military service following 9/11.

Cole said being a Gold Star Family member is to belong to a group that no one wants to be in because “the dues are so high.”

Inside the Arena concourse a short time later, a band played patriotic songs and a military color guard presented the flags of each branch of the service.

Nick Sangil, a Marine veteran now with the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, said the crowd of several hundred people took Veterans Day to heart.

During an opening prayer, Wes Anderson, chaplain for VFW Post 51 in Spokane, urged the gathering “to keep sacred all of their sacrifices.”

The Arena event, which is held annually, ended with a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.