SALCHA, Alaska — Before the first shovel entered the ground, Forrest Powell, deputy director of the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs, asked attendees to reflect on one of the military's most solemn traditions.
He described the moment during a military funeral when the American flag is lifted from a veteran's casket, held before family and friends, and folded as Taps echoes in the distance, a final tribute to a life of service. The reflection served as a reminder of why veterans, elected officials and community leaders had gathered in Salcha: to begin construction of a cemetery dedicated to honoring Alaska's veterans.
When completed, the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery will become the first State of Alaska Veterans Cemetery and the northernmost veterans cemetery in the nation, providing a final resting place for thousands of Alaska veterans and their eligible family members.
For Verdie Bowen, director of the State Office of Veterans Affairs, the groundbreaking fulfilled a vision that began more than 50 years ago with Fairbanks veteran Joe Fields.
"When I first took my job, there was a guy from Fairbanks that showed up with a folder in his hand," Bowen said. "His name was Joe Fields. In that folder was his plan for a cemetery in Fairbanks."
Bowen said Fields spent decades advocating for a veterans cemetery where Interior Alaska veterans could be laid to rest close to home.
"He wanted to be able to be buried close to home," Bowen said. "He wanted something that provided honor to our veterans. Joe would be so moved, he would ask if it was truly happening. It was his dream to have a place of rest that would be a national shrine."
That dream gained momentum in 2007 when legislation establishing the cemetery effort passed the Alaska Legislature. At the time, Nancy Dahlstrom, then serving in the Alaska House of Representatives representing District 18, helped advance the legislation that laid the foundation for the project.
Now serving as Alaska's lieutenant governor, Dahlstrom reflected on the nearly two-decade journey from legislation to groundbreaking.
"We never, ever dreamed it would take 20 years," Dahlstrom said. "One thing I know about veterans, and the people that honor veterans, is that we never quit."
While the groundbreaking marked the beginning of construction, Bowen said the cemetery's greatest impact will be felt by the families it serves.
"This helps the veteran know his or her family will not have a burden to place them at their final resting place," Bowen said. "Even in death our Veterans think of their families."
Jeff Slaikeu, project manager for the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs, said the cemetery will provide Interior Alaska veterans and their families with something they have never had before, a veterans cemetery close to home.
"Right now, the only veterans cemeteries in Alaska are on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Metlakatla and in Sitka," Slaikeu said. "This cemetery will provide the Interior of Alaska and their families a place closer to home to provide final honors to our veterans."
Slaikeu said the cemetery will grant the same burial benefits available as national veterans cemeteries, including military funeral honors, interment and flag presentation ceremonies. Approximately 500 cremated remains are expected to be ready for interment when the cemetery opens, with officials anticipating about 120 interments annually.
"The cost of transporting a veteran for burial in a veterans cemetery will now be much less, and families will be able to visit this cemetery in their community," Slaikeu said.
Federal support for the project came through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs State Veterans Cemetery Grants Program.
Samuel Brown, undersecretary for memorial affairs, said the cemetery reflects a shared commitment to honoring veterans and their families.
"This project helps us in our pursuit of honoring the lives of veterans and their family members," Brown said.
Brown said the cemetery will ultimately serve more than 12,000 veterans and eligible family members throughout Interior Alaska.
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan credited Interior Alaska veterans and community leaders for refusing to let the project stall.
"When the people of this part of our state see an opportunity or a challenge that relates to our veterans and our military, the whole community puts its shoulder into it," Sullivan said.
U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III said remembering those who served is a responsibility shared across generations.
"It was an opportunity to teach my son how important service is," Begich said. "And how important it is for us to remember those who came before us and gave that sacrifice."
Following the ceremony, dignitaries and project partners turned ceremonial golden shovels, officially marking the beginning of construction.
For Bowen, the moment represented the work of countless people who refused to let the vision fade.
"I am most proud of the team that made this happen," he said. "Seeing the land being prepared for our Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery is so surreal. It is now something I can see and touch. It is no longer on my paper plans."
Looking toward to the future, Bowen said he hopes every veteran and family member who visits the cemetery finds the same feeling.
"A place of respect and peace," Bowen said. "The cemetery will provide a place of reflection and honor for all who walk on these grounds."