ST. CROIX — Veterans Day was observed Wednesday with parades and ceremonies on St. Croix and St. Thomas, as residents, officials, students, and service members turned out to honor those who have served.
At the St. Croix ceremony, Alvin Milligan, a veteran and retired government administrator, called on federal and local leaders to make healthcare, benefits, and housing easier for veterans to reach.
On St. Thomas, Command Sergeant Major Louin Chung Jr., of the Virgin Islands National Guard, delivered the keynote, telling the audience that Veterans Day is more than a day off.
The ceremonies were organized by the Virgin Islands Office of Veterans Affairs and the American Legion under the theme “Honoring Service, Celebrating Community.”
Parades were held on both islands before the ceremonies, featuring the Virgin Islands National Guard and Girl Scouts. The parade on St. Croix also featured Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps units from St. Croix Central High School and St. Croix Educational Complex, the SCEC marching band, the Advent VI Pulse marching band, the Pathfinder Club, and the Adventure Club.
On St. Thomas, the parade included Junior ROTC units and marching bands from Charlotte Amalie High School and Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, and students from Ulla F. Muller Elementary School. The Virgin Islands National Guard's 73rd Army Band performed at both ceremonies, flying to St. Croix after its performance on St. Thomas.
The St. Croix ceremony, originally planned to be held outside in Frederiksted, was moved indoors to the David C. Canegata Recreational Center and Sports Complex in Christiansted. The St. Thomas ceremony was held in the Fort Christian parking lot.
Milligan: ‘Remembrance must mean more':
On St. Croix, Milligan said he spoke “as a veteran and someone who has spent many years serving the people of the Virgin Islands,” and that he had seen in his work with older adults how hard it can be for families to navigate services.
“Remembrance must mean more than a ceremony, a flag, or a handshake,” Milligan said. “It must show up in the way we treat veterans every day.”
He said too many veterans still struggle to get the services they need. Some wait too long for appointments or referrals, some must travel far from home for specialized care, and some do not know which benefits they qualify for or how to appeal a denial, he said. Others deal with depression, trauma, chronic pain or substance use in silence.
“Veterans and their families should not have to become experts in a complicated system just to receive the support that they have earned,” he said.
Milligan asked federal and local leaders to work together on four areas. First, he called for a reliable place on St. Croix where veterans can speak with trained navigators, learn about benefits, get help with applications, and receive follow-up. Second, he called for timely appointments, dependable referrals, telehealth, transportation help, and for mental health to be treated “with the same seriousness and compassion” as physical health.
Third, he said leaders must pay attention to housing, transportation, employment, and the needs of aging veterans. Fourth, he asked for support for spouses, children, parents, and caregivers who manage appointments and paperwork.
“These are not favors; they are responsibilities,” Milligan said. “A benefit that is too difficult to access is not fully serving the people that it was meant to help.”
He said a referral without follow-up “can leave a veteran right where they started,” and asked leaders to publish clear information about where to get help, coordinate across agencies, and report regularly on whether veterans receive care on time.
Milligan served in the U.S. Army as a combat medical specialist and later for 10 years in the Virgin Islands National Guard’s 651st Medical Detachment, according to his introduction by Renee Samuel, American Legion District 10 finance officer.
St. Croix honoree:
Patrick Farrell, Virgin Islands Office of Veterans Affairs director, named Master Sergeant Stacy Bowers-Williams the 2026 Veterans Day honoree for St. Croix. He said she works behind the scenes in the National Guard’s personnel office, and that many veterans and their families are better off because of that work. Her husband, Owen Williams, presented her with a bouquet of flowers before the presentation.
On St. Croix, Kevin Williams Sr., chief of staff to Governor Albert Bryan Jr., spoke about military families, noting that the governor’s proclamation recognizes November as Military Families Month. Williams said his wife, daughter, and other relatives have served.
“Not everyone who serves our country wears a uniform,” he said. “Some serve by standing beside the person who does.”
Chung: 'More than a holiday':
Chung told the St. Thomas audience that Veterans Day is a day to remember and thank those who answered the call to serve.
“Veterans Day is more than a holiday or a day off from work; it’s a day of remembrance, appreciation, and gratitude for those who have answered the nation’s call to enlist in the greatest military force on the planet,” Chung said.
He said veterans make up the roughly 1% of the population that puts “duty, honor, and country above personal comfort, and in many cases above their own life.”
“The strength of our armed forces has never rested solely in our weapon systems or technology,” he said. “It’s always rested in the character, courage, and commitment of our service members.”
Chung said service members leave behind families and communities for months or years, and many carry physical and emotional burdens long after they return home. He also asked the audience to remember those who died in service.
“Freedom must be protected and preserved by generations of Americans willing to stand in defense of this nation’s way of life,” he said.
Chung said honoring veterans “requires more than words,” and means supporting them and their families, listening to their experiences, and making sure they receive the recognition and assistance they deserve.
Chung enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1990 after graduating from Charlotte Amalie High School and later joined the Virgin Islands Army National Guard, where he worked as a power generation equipment repairer, according to Ellis Benjamin, newly elected commander of American Legion District 10, who introduced him. Benjamin said Chung has served on deployments including Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom, and his awards include the Bronze Star Medal. Farrell said Chung has completed seven combat tours.
St. Thomas honoree:
Farrell named Sergeant 1st Class Daniel Nibbs the 2026 Veterans Day honoree for St. Thomas, citing his work performing military funeral honors. Senate President Milton Potter noted Nibbs is drum major of the Virgin Islands National Guard’s 73rd Army Band.
Other speakers on St. Thomas:
Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach said Virgin Islanders have served “in numbers disproportionate to our population” while living in an unincorporated territory where the Constitution does not fully apply. Roach said some in Congress are arguing that birthright citizenship should not exist in the territories.
“So, we constantly have to be vigilant about protecting our rights as American citizens,” he said.
The governor said the greatest service veterans provide is preventing conflict.
“The greatest service to our nation is the fact that these veterans stop a lot of wars from happening,” he said.
Bryan also pointed to the large turnout of Charlotte Amalie High School students in the Junior ROTC program.
Major General Kodjo Knox-Limbacker, VING adjutant general, spoke at both ceremonies and thanked veterans and the community groups that continue to support service members.
Farrell also presented plaques to Bryan and Roach for eight years of support for veterans, and a plaque for Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett, which was accepted on her behalf by her district director, Nellie Varlack.
Potter said the Legislature will keep working with the Office of Veterans Affairs on benefits, healthcare, and housing.
“We owe our veterans more than applause,” Potter said. “We owe them action.”
