The City of Soldotna will unveil their ‘Iron Mike’ statue in Soldotna Creek Park on Saturday, July 4, at 3:00 p.m. The dedication aims to celebrate all veterans, as well as the United States of America.
Soldotna City Councilmember Dave Carey says that what the statue represents is a multifaceted tribute: “We’re going to unveil Iron Mike! Again, this beautiful five-foot tall bronze statue. It’s a statue of an airborne ranger from World War II, and it represents every single veteran and even every person who is an American. It says that we stand up for our values, we don’t lie town. So, with all of the good things in terms of written-work, our country is protected by those in the military. They are civilian-controlled. That’s a very unique thing if you look around the world where militaries take over countries. Not in America. In America, our military is to back us up in terms of the values we believe in.”
The term ‘Iron Mike,’ originating from WWI to honor Marines who fought in the war, is military slang for an especially inspiring, brave and tough service member.
Carey says that Iron Mike can help bridge a generational gap for young people on the peninsula who may need to discover their appreciation for American values: “We want to see everyone at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday! Come to Soldotna Creek Park. Be there when we uncover, when we unveil Iron Mike, and we’re gonna have a special young man do that. This is a big event. We have to build the values into our younger people of what America stands for. Again, I hope in a small way that by having – I won’t say his name – but having him uncover it, it will show how much we need our younger generations to be Americans who believe not in lying down, but in getting up and doing the job.”
The Soldotna City Council first introduced the resolution officially supporting the construction of an Iron Mike statue back in early 2015.