Honoring the unknown
HANNAH NEFF/Press | Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 3 years, 4 months AGO
Lt. Col. Philip Kowzan (Ret.) plays taps to close the commemoration ceremony for the plaque unveiling in honor of the 100th anniversary of The Tomb of the Unknown Solder at the Veterans Memorial in McEuen Park in downtown Coeur d'Alene on Saturday. HANNAH NEFF/Press
A plaque to commemorate the 100th anniversary of The Tomb of the Unknown Solder is unveiled at Veterans Memorial in McEuen Park on Saturday by Rae Anna Victor, Project Patriot Chair, NSDAR, left, and Elizabeth Jones, Honorary Idaho State Regent of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. HANNAH NEFF/Press
From left, Jeff Broadhead, Master Sergeant, and Bob Martin, First Sergeant perform Honor Guard at the ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a special plaque and rose garden at the Veterans Memorial in McEuen Park in downtown Coeur d’Alene on Saturday. HANNAH NEFF/Press
Sandra Coultrap, President of the Edward Carleton Chapter, NSCDXVIIc, opens the ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Veterans Memorial in McEuen Park in downtown Coeur d’Alene on Saturday. HANNAH NEFF/Press
Gavin Mcllvenna, U.S. Army SGM (Ret.) and President of the Society of the Honor Guard, spoke of the history of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the monument in Virginia at the Veterans Memorial in McEuen Park in downtown Coeur d’Alene on Saturday. HANNAH NEFF
The plaque to commemorate the 100th anniversary of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is mounted to "Pappy's Bell" at the Veterans Memorial in McEuen Park in downtown Coeur d’Alene. From left, Elizabeth Jones of Post Falls, Honorary Idaho State Regent of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and Sandra Coultrap, President of the Edward Carleton Chapter, National Society Colonial Dames of the 17th Century at the ceremony on Saturday. HANNAH NEFF/Press
A crowd gathered at the Veterans Memorial in McEuen Park to watch the commemoration ceremony and plaque unveiling for the 100th anniversary of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Saturday. HANNAH NEFF/Press
COEUR d'ALENE — The sun peeked through the clouds on a group of Americans, gathering in unity to commemorate the 100th anniversary of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a special plaque and rose garden at the Veterans Memorial in McEuen Park in downtown Coeur d’Alene on Saturday.
“It’s an honor to have a memorial garden here and to be able to teach our young people what it’s about,” said Elizabeth Jones of Post Falls, Honorary Idaho State Regent of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. “We need to remember our history so we don’t repeat it.”
The plaque, provided by the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is now affixed to the mount of “Pappy’s Bell,” surrounded by the memorial rose garden donated by the Edward Carleton Chapter, National Society Colonial Dames of the 17th Century (NSCDXVIIc) and the Idaho State Society, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Guest speaker Gavin Mcllvenna, U.S. Army SGM (Ret.) and President of the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, thanked all veterans in attendance and asked for a moment to reflect.
Mcllvenna said the late congressman Hamilton Fish III, a World War II veteran, was the lead advocate for the memorial to the unknown, persuaded by American Gold Star mothers and Daughters of the American Revolution to write the legislation to bring home an unknown American to represent all that had fallen.
“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier becomes that grave for every single family member who doesn't have that opportunity either to visit the grave of their loved one, or their loved one went off the battle, or was lost at sea or lost in flight and never returned,” Mcllvenna said. “It's the one place where we can all come regardless of our race, or religion, or politics or whatever label that you can put on anyone today.”
Mcllvenna encouraged the community to think about a unique way to remember the service and sacrifice of so many citizens in the area.
He said in World War I, there were just 19,279 people from Idaho that served, and 782 did not return. He said there are over 2,000 unknown graves in France, and each of those unknown graves could have be an Idaho citizen.
“So I asked you the question, is the unknown soldier from Idaho?” Mcllvenna said. “The chances are very good.”
Mcllvenna said that being able to stand watch as a relief commander at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virg. meant a lot for him because he had lost friends in conflict.
“While I can go visit their individual graves in the different states that they're buried, the tomb itself represents so much more,” Mcllvenna said. “It represents a place where anyone can come and be connected to their loved ones.”
Sandra Coultrap, President of the Edward Carleton Chapter, NSCDXVIIc, said the process for the plaque and memorial garden took only three months from the birth of the idea to the commemoration.
“This is the perfect opportunity to thank Coeur d’Alene for giving us the beautiful spot for everybody to be able to enjoy, to learn from, to talk about it,” Coultrap said. “We really accomplished a lot in a very short amount of time.”
