Thirty-two people, including veterans and community members, gathered at Veterans Memorial Park in Fairbanks for an event put on by the Alaska Peace Center celebrating Armistice Day and stressing what they call the original meaning of the day, a call for peace.

Alaska veterans are leaving millions of dollars in earned benefits unclaimed, with only half of eligible service members receiving compensation they’ve earned, according to state officials.

For nearly 28,000 Alaska residents, their healthcare costs could skyrocket if Congress fails to extend federal subsidies that expire in December, with some families potentially paying more than half their income for insurance, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Alaska’s Division of Insurance.