The local Russian Orthodox community celebrated Slavi, or Russian Christmas, over the weekend, which follows the Julian calendar and takes place Jan. 7. It was the first time the church held in-person Christmas services since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unalaska’s Church of the Holy Ascension is one of the oldest churches in Alaska, and arguably the oldest Russian Orthodox church in the state. On Russian Orthodox Christmas, congregants stood at the front of the church, spinning large, colorfully decorated stars in clockwise circles, while the choir sang traditional songs in Russian, Unangam Tunuu, English and the Eastern Orthodox Church’s liturgical language, Slavonic.
Private George Fox was the only Unangax soldier killed fighting in World War II and any war since. But for nearly 80 years, he rested in an unmarked grave in Unalaska … until May 30th.Fox was finally honored for his sacrifice in a special Memorial Day celebration.
For nearly 80 years, a small American flag placed by an old friend was the only thing that stood above the tundra, marking the plot of Army Pvt. George Fox in Unalaska’s cemetery.But on Monday, that all changed when the decorated fallen veteran’s resting place was finally recognized.Fox is the only known Unangax̂ soldier killed fighting in World War II and any war since, and for decades he was buried in an unmarked grave. This Memorial Day, he was finally honored with a gravestone in a long-awaited burial ceremony, which drew crowds from across the state and Lower 48 to the remote Aleutian community.