SANDY, Utah — As Saturday marks a day to honor the sacrifices made by veterans and their families, an inaugural dinner hosted in Utah will celebrate a specific group of veterans with rich cultural traditions.
Hale Center Theater in Sandy will transform into a venue to celebrate the service of Pacific Islander veterans.
Marine veteran Michael Tan and his group, "Behind the Lavalava" is one of the organizers behind Friday's event.
"We're basically cut from the same cloth, that's what lavalava means," Tan explained.
Tan was shocked that an event hadn't already been organized, considering the large population of Pacific Islanders in Utah.
"[We wanted to] make it very specific to honor military traditions, and Pacific island culture all together at a dinner," he explained.
As Tan is also a part of the Utah Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce, plans were quickly made and words spread through the tight-knit community.
Sponsors jumped in to make sure the event would be a success.
"Without them, this would be very, it would pretty much be a backyard BBQ, to be honest or something at a church, which, there's nothing wrong with that," reflected Milford Tifafala of the United States Marine Corps. "But thanks to the sponsors who contributed to help put this on, and it shows their love for those who served so we're very grateful for that."
The dinner will serve island-style food and will include a special guest speaker, four-time Super Bowl winner, Jesse Sapolu.
Tickets for the event are sold out but based on the popularity, many are hopeful that the celebratory dinner and program return for years to come.
