Community
George Washington to speak at Veterans Day ceremony
The Gig Harbor Veteran’s Day celebration always has a high-profile headliner. It’s usually a high-ranking current or former service member, a war hero and/or a senior political figure.
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This year’s celebration, which begins at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, features the father of the country.
That’s right, the first president and the commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, George Washington.
Sorta.
An actor and a scholar
Playing the role of the American Cincinnatus, with help from a wig and vintage uniform, will be Jonathan Bill, a retired Peninsula School District teacher and a veteran actor in regional theater productions.
With his background as a history teacher who also led Peninsula High’s drama department for years, Bill is uniquely qualified for the role.
“As an American history teacher, my specialty is the American Revolution. I just happen to be a huge fan of George Washington,” said Bill, who added that he’s currently reading “another biography” of Washington.
The national anthem performed at the Gig Harbor Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 11, 2025. Photo by Vince Dice
In keeping with a Veterans Day event, Bill will depict Washington during his time as commander in chief of the Continental Army, not as the first president. He will perform a monologue in which Washington pays tribute to the soldiers he commands and recalls historic events like the Crossing of the Delaware and Valley Forge.
Dramatic presentations
Joe Loya, one of the chief organizers of the ceremony, wrote the speech.
“Knowing everything I know about George Washington and being an actor, I read it through and thought, wow. I can’t think of any changes I would make, this is great,” Bill said.
Members of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will perform a skit presenting a female perspective on the war. Chapter members will depict Founding Mothers like Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Deborah Read Franklin and Martha Jefferson.
They’ll wear period costumes, Rahna Lovrovich of the DAR said, including some they made themselves by hand.
“When we’re talking about the American Revolution and America 250, most people have a tendency just to think about our Founding Fathers and all the men that are involved. But there’s a female perspective on the other side of that,” Lovrovich said. “They were left behind while their husbands were off fighting the war and creating the new republic.
“They had to hold the fort down. The skit’s a little along those lines.”
Veterans Day ceremony
Organizers of the Gig Harbor celebration bill it as the “largest indoor Veterans Day ceremony in Washinton state.” It starts at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Gig Harbor Vintage Aero Museum at Tacoma Narrows Airport, 1108 26th Ave. Doors open at 11 a.m.
Veterans, families and others eat before the program begins at the 2025 Gig Harbor Veterans Ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Photo by Vince Dice
This year’s ceremony will include observances of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks; and of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The event also features lunch, musical performances and remarks by military and veteran leaders.
Tickets are sold out.