Mike Dixon, the operations chief for Havelock Fire and Rescue, embraces a piece of the World Trade Center following a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Havelock’s 9/11 Memorial, North Carolina, Sept. 11, 2026. The city of Havelock hosted the 25th anniversary memorial to join communities nationwide in honoring the victims and the service of first responders, military personnel, and community members affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dillon Anderson)
Members of the Havelock and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point communities gather for the 9/11 remembrance ceremony held at Havelock’s 9/11 Memorial, North Carolina, Sept. 11, 2026. The city of Havelock hosted the 25th anniversary memorial to join communities nationwide in honoring the victims and the service of first responders, military personnel, and community members affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Emma Powell)
For some Marines, home is a place they leave behind when they enlist in the armed forces. For Cpl. Angel Velez IV, home became a place he returned to with a new perspective.
Velez spent 16 years growing up in Havelock, North Carolina, a small community with strong military ties that holds Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point near its center. His mother, Tabitha Kinney, a retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, raised him with the values shaped by a life of military service.
When Velez enlisted in the Marine Corps, he had two primary goals: better himself and travel the world. Hoping to get orders overseas with his eyes set on Japan, he originally planned to become an air traffic control Marine. Upon completing the training pipeline, he...
08.14.2026 | HAVELOCK, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
Story by Cpl. Steven Wells
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point established the first Warrior Athlete Readiness and Resilience kitchen in the Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2 barracks, featuring a fully remodeled kitchen setup including a new stove, fridge, pots, pans and other kitchenware to encourage better nutrition and healthy meal preparation. Marine Corps Community Services and Headquarters Marine Corps partnered up to provide Marines with specialized...
