{"id":402115,"date":"2023-11-13T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=402115"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"CNMI-VA-office-treats-veterans-to-lunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/CNMI-VA-office-treats-veterans-to-lunch\/","title":{"rendered":"CNMI VA office treats veterans to lunch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over 200 veterans and their families joined the CNMI Veterans Affairs Office for a special Veterans Day luncheon last Saturday at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

Veterans and their families were not only treated to a free meal, but were also given pool passes to PIC\u2019s waterpark for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n

CNMI Office of Veteran Affairs program coordinator Jerad Atalig said that Saturday\u2019s event was intended to thank all veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice, \u201cfor everything they\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the celebration was also a personal one for him. \u201cMy son is a veteran. He just got out of the Air Force, so I\u2019m really happy we get to spend the day with all our veterans in the CNMI,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Atalig said planning for the event took two months, thanks in large part to the efforts of their new executive officer, Frances Sablan. \u201cShe\u2019s a veteran as well, and she told us we need to do something big this year for our veterans, and so that\u2019s what we did,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Several veterans shared with Saipan Tribune<\/em> the importance of support groups\u2014that veterans don\u2019t have to face the after-effects of war alone and the gathering reminded them of their veteran family.<\/p>\n

U.S. Army veteran Carlos Cabrera Seman told Saipan Tribune<\/em> that the event did feel like a veteran family get-together \u201cThank you to all the organizers of this event because we\u2019re a lot closer as a family,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Another veteran, Edward Seman Iriarte, thanked the Veterans Affairs Office for \u201crecognizing all of us guys before, and even now, for serving our country\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Another U.S. Army veteran, Albert Lujan, said, \u201cIt\u2019s very meaningful for veterans like myself to have people respect and understand what we\u2019ve been through. We were at the [Veterans Day] memorial this morning\u2026but then having the meal and the enjoyment and people coming up and saying thank you for your service, it just means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harley Eriich said, \u201cI really appreciate what the state VA office did and how they put this up because we\u2019ve had other days like this where it was open to the public but not a lot of people came because not a lot of people knew about it. I really appreciate what they did, how they came and pulled together this event, and allowed us to be here and spend time with our family and I\u2019m grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Lujan and Eriich said that remembering veterans is important not just for the veterans themselves, but also for the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back at Vietnam, a lot of the veterans during that time were not really taken care of and not many appreciated what they did, and once you forget that, then your future generation don\u2019t see the urgency or the patriotism to sign up or do something like that, because if you don\u2019t get support for what you\u2019re doing, more than likely your future generation is not going to want to be a part of it,\u201d Eriich said.<\/p>\n

For the fresh faces who are going to serve, Iriarte and Seman\u2019s message is: \u201cStand strong and serve your country proudly.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Veterans and their families and friends got to enjoy a well deserved Veterans Day on Saturday with free water park tickets at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan in San Antonio, courtesy of the CNMI Veterans Affairs Office.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

<\/p>\n

To honor those who have served the country, the CNMI Veterans Affairs Office held a private lunch complimentary to veterans and their guests at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan in San Antonio last Saturday.<\/p>\n

-CHRYSTAL MARINO
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