A retired Navy captain will speak at a Veterans Day program at Oak Harbor High School this year.

The program will take place from 11 a.m. to noon Friday, Nov. 11 in the high school auditorium. The event, which the high school has hosted for around two decades, will be in person and indoors again after a rainy program in the stadium last year.

Long-time Whidbey resident Jim Patton, a retired Navy captain, will be the guest speaker.

Patton holds a doctorate in law and diplomacy and formerly served as ​​executive director of the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel at the Pentagon. He is also a former president of the Whidbey Island Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America and once served as the director of the Port of Coupeville.

Patton was a submariner, which is unusual in Oak Harbor where most Navy personnel work in surface vessels or aviation.

“Having a submariner is different for us,” event organizer George Saul said. “We’re looking forward to hearing about some of his experiences.”

The primarily musical program will also feature Navy Band Northwest Oak Harbor High School’s choir, band and Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. It is open to the public and free of charge.