VFW Post 5297 recognizes emergency responders

Wahkiakum VFW Post 5297 presented its 2025–2026 Firefighter and EMT awards to Justin Roberts and Justin Tawater, respectively, and sent both award packages to the Washington State VFW Department for consideration by the state and possibly VFW National Headquarters.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) runs an annual program that recognizes public servants in four categories: emergency medical technician (EMT), law enforcement officer, firefighter, and 911 dispatcher/telecommunicator. Local VFW posts nominate one winner per category to their State VFW department, which then selects state winners to forward to VFW National Headquarters. For the 2025–2026 cycle, Wahkiakum Post 5297 nominated two members of the local community and held presentations in January. Details: - The VFW awards recognize active service in emergency medical care, firefighting, law enforcement, and emergency dispatch, with nominations moving from local posts to state departments and then to national headquarters. - Agencies contacted for nominations included the Wahkiakum County Sheriff's Office, Washington State Patrol, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Cathlamet Fire Department, and Fire Districts 1-4. - Wahkiakum Post 5297 selected two community members for the 2025–2026 awards cycle. - Firefighter Justin Roberts received the Firefighter Award on Jan. 8 at the Fire District 4 Fire Station. - EMT Justin Tawater received the EMT Award on Jan. 15 during a Cathlamet Fire Department EMT training session at the Skamokawa United Methodist Church. - Each winner received a certificate, a plaque, and a $100 cash award; both post award packages have been sent to the Washington State VFW Department for consideration, and there were no law enforcement or 911 dispatcher/telecommunicator submissions this year. Summary: The post recognized two local responders with awards and modest monetary prizes. Both award packages were sent to the Washington State VFW Department for consideration and may be forwarded to VFW National Headquarters if selected.