(left) Esther Aaltséen Reese stands beside Mike Aak'wtaatseen Hoyt and Katherine George-Byrd outside the Wrangell Post Office on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Wrangell, Alaska. It was the final stop on the walking tour before the Army's apology for its 1869 bombardment of the Native village. The post office now stands where the U.S. Army fort was once located. (Courtesy/Sam Pausman,Wrangell Sentinel)
(left) Esther Aaltséen Reese stands beside Mike Aak’wtaatseen Hoyt and Katherine George-Byrd outside the Wrangell Post Office on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Wrangell, Alaska. It was the final stop on the walking tour before the Army’s apology for its 1869 bombardment of the Native village. The post office now stands where the U.S. Army fort was once located. (Courtesy/Sam Pausman,Wrangell Sentinel)

As voices became hushed and the crowd waited for the ceremony to begin,…