Centenarian WWII Veteran named VA Puget Sound’s 2024 Wall of Heroes honoree
SEATTLE – Nov. 6, 2024 – U.S. Army Technician 5th Grade Clarence Rankins Jr. will be inducted into VA Puget Sound Health Care System’s Wall of Heroes during its annual Veterans Day celebration Nov. 7, 2024 at its Seattle Campus.
Rankins—the 20th Veteran to be honored—is being recognized for his remarkable service during World War II as part of the U.S. Army, Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 164th Infantry.
Dedicated June 29, 2009, VA Puget Sound’s Wall of Heroes serves as a reminder to the community of the sacrifice, valor, bravery and heroism of local Veterans.
Who: U.S. Army Technician 5th Grade Clarence Rankins Jr. Rankins enlisted at 17, and soon deployed to the South Pacific. He served with honor and dedication while facing immense challenges in defense of freedom. As a centenarian (turned 100 September 9, 2024), Clarence continues to live in his Green Lake Seattle home he and his wife, Dorothy, purchased 74 years ago. They will celebrate their 82nd anniversary in about a month, on December 2, 2024. Rankins is a living testament to the resilience, strength and courage of his generation. Family, friends, Veterans Service Organizations and representatives from state and congressional offices are expected to attend and celebrate Rankins’s contributions and sacrifices.
Where: VA Puget Sound Health Care System, 1660 S. Columbian Way, Central Check-in Lobby (Veteran’s Lobby), Building 100, Seattle, WA 98108
When: Nov. 7, 2024, at noon
Speakers: VA Puget Sound Executive Director Dr. Thomas Bundt, Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Director Abuoh Neufville, Madigan Army Medical Center Commander Col. Hope M. Williamson-Younce, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063 Commander Aly Teeter and Cong. Pramila Jayapal Outreach Coordinator Santos Moreno.
Media notes: Please arrive no later than 11:50 a.m. For questions, contact VA Puget Sound’s Public Affairs Office by phone, 206-277-1711, or email, publicaffairspugetsound@va.gov.
About VA Puget Sound: VA Puget Sound provides comprehensive care to more than 155,000 Veterans across the Pacific Northwest—approximately 120,000 are enrolled with a primary care team at one of its 10 care sites: two main campuses (American Lake and Seattle), six outpatient clinics (Edmonds, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Port Angeles, Puyallup and Silverdale) and two Community Resource & Referral Centers (Georgetown in Seattle and Renton). For more information visit www.va.gov/puget-sound-health-care or call 800-329-8387. For Veterans in Crisis, please use the Veterans Crisis line at 988 (press 1).