Grand Island Mayor Roger Steele (left) and Nebraska National Guard Major General Craig Strong prepare to receive a wreath during a ceremony at the Grand Island Veterans Park, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – A wreath-laying ceremony at Grand Island’s Veterans Park kicked off a day of activities marking the Nebraska National Guard’s new Community Partnership Program with the city of Grand Island.
Grand Island Mayor Roger Steele and Major General Craig Strong, Nebraska adjutant general, participated in the wreath-laying ceremony next to the Hall County Veterans Memorial Park marker toward the center of the Veterans Park.
“Today we remember and honor our veterans, past and present,” Steele said. He noted that the country’s veterans have shaped its history.
Steele said that Saddam Hussein tested the resolve of the country, but the United States met that challenge. He said that the United States had also defeated the Soviet Union.
He described United States’ troops’ response to terrorism as fast and deadly.
“The legacy of our veterans goes far beyond their service to America,” Steele said. “Because of our veterans…we are the land of the free and home of the brave.”
Strong said that people met Oct. 16 to “pay honor to our local veterans.”
“Grand Island is a great American city,” Strong said.
He noted that Oct. 16 was the kickoff of the new Community Partnership Program.
The program is designed to strengthen ties between the Nebraska National Guard and the greater Grand Island and Hall County community in the areas of emergency preparedness and response, and support to local area military service members and veterans.”
“In the Nebraska National Guard, our goal is to become the partner of choice. That’s why we are excited to formally begin this new partnership between the Nebraska National Guard and the city of Grand Island and begin to chart new ways in which we can work together,” Strong said.
The Community Partnership Program (CPP) is a new Nebraska Military Department program, managed and administered by the Nebraska adjutant general. CPP allows the Nebraska Military Department –which includes the Nebraska Army and Air National Guard, and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency –to support Nebraska citizens by recognizing and developing enduring relationships within local communities while also carrying out activities to build trust, open lines of communications, and to enhance the overall readiness for emergency response.
The Nebraska National Guard is spending the entire day in Grand Island engaged in various activities and conversations with local Grand Island area leaders. The activities and conversations will center on getting to know and understand Grand Island while also recognizing local veterans, developing greater understanding of local emergency management practices and capabilities, and brainstorming future collaborative efforts. These activities include visits with several civic organizations, meetings with local veterans, and discussions with Grand Island Police Department, Fire Department, and other local first response personnel.
The Nebraska National Guard is also hosting a day-long “Guard for a Day” event at the Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2 where local high school students will be able to learn more about the Nebraska National Guard and its missions, meet current members of local Grand Island units, and see the various equipment and skills that Nebraska Guard Soldiers and Airmen use to support their state and national responsibilities.
The Nebraska Army National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2 is co-located near the Grand Island Municipal Airport at 3010 Airport Road.
A wreath is positioned next to a veterans memorial marker at Grand Island’s Veterans Park, (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
