The Basin honors its heroes for Memorial Day
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 6 months AGO
Quincy agriculture teacher Rod Cool speaks during the Memorial Day observance in Quincy. Cool recently lost his wife, a veteran, and this was his first Memorial Day observing her service to the U.S.
R. HANS MILLER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
A family places American flags at the headstones of service members at the Ephrata Cemetery Monday.
Veterans visit and discuss their time in service and other issues during the Quincy Memorial Day ceremony at Quincy Valley Cemetery Monday.
Mike Montaney with Ephrata American Legion Post 28 observes as a memorial wreath is placed at the Ephrata Memorial Day event. Memorial Day was also known as Decoration Day when it was first established after the Civil War.
Barb Illman reads the poem “One Thousand Men Are Walking” by Joshua Dyer during the Ephrata Memorial Day observance. Illman noted that Dyer wrote the poem at the age of 14 just a few years ago, showing the next generation’s desire to honor those who served.
Veterans Operation Creation choir members sing during the Quincy Memorial Day observances on Monday. The group sang multiple times, including performances of the National Anthem and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.”
Flags and crosses line the base of a fallen veterans memorial in Soap Lake.
The grave of U.S. Army Air Forces Major and World War II veteran Perry D. Brown is decorated for Memorial Day on Monday.
American Legion Art Semro Post 28 Honor Guard members fire their rifles during the Quincy ceremony. While American Legion Post 183 organized that event, the posts worked together to ensure full honors were observed.
American Legion Art Semro Post 28 Honor Guard members stand in formation during the Ephrata ceremony on Monday. Many of the attendees at the various Columbia Basin events wore poppies to honor those who have died in service.
Community members place memorial flags on graves at Valley View Memorial Park in Soap Lake on Monday.
A bugler plays “Taps” while honor guard members salute during Monday’s Memorial Day observance at Quincy Valley Cemetery. The song is played at the end of the day and during military funerals.
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | May 30, 2024 2:00 AM
SOAP LAKE, EPHRATA, QUINCY — Community members gathered at Valley View Memorial Park, the Ephrata Cemetery and Quincy Valley Cemetery on Monday to honor those who have served the U.S. and preserved its way of life.
“Veterans made a promise to defend our country with their life if necessary. It is up to the living to ensure their promise is remembered,” said American Legion Art Semro Post 28's Mike Montaney during the Ephrata event's keynote address.
Montaney said he’d done a count of veterans in the Ephrata cemetery and 485 were laid to rest there with representation from every conflict since the Civil War. Of those, three were from the Civil War, seven served in the Spanish-American War, 57 from World War I, 287 from World War II, 69 from the Korean War, 52 from the Vietnam War two from the Lebanon/Grenada Era, four from the Gulf War and three who served during the War on Terror.
In Soap Lake, volunteers placed flags on the graves of veterans while visitors prayed or paid respects in other ways to late service members. The Veterans of Foreign Wars organized efforts there.
In Quincy, dozens showed up to an event organized by American Legion Post 183. During the event, American Legion Post 28’s Honor Guard fired a salute to those interred at the cemetery, a choir performed the National Anthem, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” and other songs in observance of the holiday.
Quincy High School agriculture teacher Rod Cool delivered the keynote address at the Quincy cemetery and noted that it was the first time he’d placed a flag on Cherrie Dee Cool’s headstone. She had passed away February 24 of this year and served in the military during peacetime in the 1980s, he said.
Veterans visited between portions of the Quincy ceremony, speaking about knees not working quite right when one gets close to nine decades on Earth and joking with one another about those things only veterans understand.
Children played between speakers as well, but sat still and paid attention during songs and as speakers took to the podium.
All three cemeteries were decked out in red, white and blue for the holiday.
Jane Montaney with the Post 28 Auxiliary said she had one request for those at the meeting. That they all stop at 3 p.m. on May 30, the anniversary of the first observance of Memorial Day in 1868, for a moment of silence to remember those who had served.
R. Hans "Rob" Miller may be reached at [email protected].
A family places American flags at the headstones of service members at the Ephrata Cemetery Monday.
Veterans visit and discuss their time in service and other issues during the Quincy Memorial Day ceremony at Quincy Valley Cemetery Monday.
Mike Montaney with Ephrata American Legion Post 28 observes as a memorial wreath is placed at the Ephrata Memorial Day event. Memorial Day was also known as Decoration Day when it was first established after the Civil War.
Barb Illman reads the poem “One Thousand Men Are Walking” by Joshua Dyer during the Ephrata Memorial Day observance. Illman noted that Dyer wrote the poem at the age of 14 just a few years ago, showing the next generation’s desire to honor those who served.
Veterans Operation Creation choir members sing during the Quincy Memorial Day observances on Monday. The group sang multiple times, including performances of the National Anthem and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.”
Flags and crosses line the base of a fallen veterans memorial in Soap Lake.
The grave of U.S. Army Air Forces Major and World War II veteran Perry D. Brown is decorated for Memorial Day on Monday.
American Legion Art Semro Post 28 Honor Guard members fire their rifles during the Quincy ceremony. While American Legion Post 183 organized that event, the posts worked together to ensure full honors were observed.
American Legion Art Semro Post 28 Honor Guard members stand in formation during the Ephrata ceremony on Monday. Many of the attendees at the various Columbia Basin events wore poppies to honor those who have died in service.
Community members place memorial flags on graves at Valley View Memorial Park in Soap Lake on Monday.
A bugler plays “Taps” while honor guard members salute during Monday’s Memorial Day observance at Quincy Valley Cemetery. The song is played at the end of the day and during military funerals.ARTICLES BY R. HANS MILLER
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An experience I recently had with a school district, quite honestly, has left me gob-smacked a bit. I am in awe of the teachers and administrators at school districts throughout the region and what they have to deal with. Let me get back to the beginning, though. Journalists often cover a wide variety of topics and are constantly looking for ideas for stories that will matter to readers. As such, when we hear of events of interest, we sometimes ask to attend so we can either cover it, or, as in this case, learn how to cover a topic better.