MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The 12th annual Gene Vance Jr. Day will feature the flag that flew over Camp Vance in Afghanistan.
Gene Vance Jr. Foundation Chairman Michael Minc said the flag will be raised above the Monongalia County Courthouse Square during the ceremony Saturday at 11 a.m.
“The flag being raised is the flag that flew for more than 20 years over the camp,” Minc said Friday on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” “It’s a historic symbol of the war that took place and the sacrifices that were made. It flew there for the duration of the war.”
Vance was a student at WVU when he was mobilized to Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001, attacks as part of the Global War on Terror. On May 18, 2002, Vance, a staff seargent, was killed near the border of Pakistan in a firefight in which he saved the lives of two American and 18 Afghan soldiers. At the time, Vance was the first National Guardsman to die in combat since the Vietnam War and the first West Virginia guardsman killed in combat since World War II.
“We thank everybody for their service, but this is heartfelt gratitude that we should never forget, and that shouldn’t be a catch phrase: Never Forget,” Minc said. “It should be part and parcel of who we are. There can never be enough days to remember the sacrifices that are being made.”
State Adjutant General Bill Crane put out a statement on social media Friday remembering Vance’s sacrifice for the nation.
“I want us to always remember to live our lives the way Gene did. Gene was always there trying to help wherever he needed to, whether it was in the state of West Virginia or overseas in Afghanistan,,” said Crane.
MG Bill Crane @wvngtag asks everyone to remember and honor SSG Gene “Buddy” Vance Jr., and the service and sacrifice of his family.
Vance, despite being critically wounded, saved the lives of two fellow Americans and 18 Afghan soldiers in Afghanistan on May 19, 2002. pic.twitter.com/II6ELg1GzH— WV National Guard (@WVNationalGuard) May 19, 2023
General Crane also noted the sacrifice of all military members and their families.
“As we take this moment to remember him and his sacrifices, please think about the family that is left behind and has to deal with this loss,” he said.
Minc noted Saturday’s ceremony celebrating Vance’s life will also pay tribute to all West Virginians who have given their lives in service to the country.
“This is the only event in our great state that reads every year the names of all of our fallen and reflects, for military families like ourselves, our commitment to safeguarding our nation,” Minc said.
Vance is also memorialized with his name on several landmarks all over the world, like the Vance Mile along Deckers Creek Rail Trail and Gene Arden Vance Jr. Memorial Drive both in Morgantown, the SSG Gene Arden Vance Jr. Memorial Bridge in Oceana, WV, the SSG Gene Arden Vance Jr. and SG Deforest Lee Talbert Hall of Honor, and the Gene Vance Biometrics Experimentation Center both at Camp Dawson.
“I think the pride he would embrace as a member of my family, closest friend, and brother-in-law would speak for itself just in his being there,” Minc said. “That’s the part that’s missing—him not being here with us.”
The event on Saturday will also include remarks by elected officials, the National Anthem, and a performance by Morgantown native country music singer Cody Clayton Eagle.