Gov. Bill Walker, center in red and black Tlingit button blanket, and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, left of governor, participate in a Blessing and Cleansing ceremony at the Alaska National Guard armory on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson May 26. The Blessing and Cleansing ceremony is a complex and symbolic event to reinvigorate the spirit of the National Guard that is embodied in the honor pole, which was carved by George Bennett and his son James Bennett in Sitka, Alaska, to honor the Alaska National Guard’s past and present military service, seen in the background.