Veteran's Day Salute 2018

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2018

HONORING ALL WHO SERVED

The locally created play “Coming Home,” on the impacts of World War I, is performed this Saturday, Nov. 10, in the Lynden Pioneer Museum. Also including a silent auction of many items, the overall event starts at 5 p.m. Call 360-354-3675 for $25 tickets.

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

A supplement of the Lynden Tribune & Ferndale Record

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, November 7, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, November 7, 2018 | Ferndale Record

Veterans Tribute

‘Almost Home’ explores lives of returning World War I soldiers One-time play is Saturday, Nov. 10, aiding Lynden Pioneer Museum as sponsor

By Ashley Hiruko ashley@lyndentribune.com

LYNDEN — The one-time production “Almost Home” began as a tribute to the armistice of World War I. It was at “the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month” — exactly 100 years ago this Sunday — that the conflict between Germany and the U.S and other allies ended.

Talking to Crows playwright Laura Baker’s first performance piece is to be a reflection of fictional characters (largely based on factual accounts) and historical figures who once lived in Whatcom County, and their return from that 1917-18 war.

“There’s this disconnect between their old life and their new life and the recognition for what they did or didn’t do,” said director Ashton Lundy. “[The play] is pretty complex as far as tackling multiple people’s experience with war on both sides of the home front and front lines.”

Baker wrote her piece for the Lynden Pioneer Museum, in honor of those who served, and as an act of gratitude for allowing the company to film in the museum building. During the summer, the primarily female production company filmed a take on Ella Higginson, prolific Whatcom writer of the early 20th century who has recently regained the spotlight of fame.

This piece, with a more serious tone than the comedic Higginson film, will give See 'Almost Home' on C4

Actors Dana Crediford (left) and Jennifer Angelucci-Medina perform on the Lynden Pioneer Museum stage, leading up to their one-time performance this Saturday. The entire event, including a silent auction, begins at 5 p.m. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, November 7, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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Almost Home Continued from C3

playgoers a look at what life was like for WWI veterans upon coming home from war.

Some experienced what was then termed “shell shock” and is now known as post traumatic stress disorder — a mental affliction.

“Nobody had any understanding of PTSD at that time … [Veterans] came home and were received by family members who were like ‘You should be fine. You didn’t get physically injured, so you’re fine,’” said Cassidy Elise Brooks, another member of the Talking to Crows company.

And for some nurses, the return meant a loss of responsibility. “One nurse wrote about how she was able to do all these incredible things in the war, and then she came back and didn’t even have the right to vote,” Baker said.

This retelling of what nurses went through will be portrayed through the character Nancy Smith, played by Lauren Brigolin.

“War is one of the things that affects the entire community,” Baker said. “It isn’t just about about the individual, but also about pain seeping out. It’s a generational problem and it continues if we can’t address it.

It’s just kind of a cycle.”

The play will be performed one time only this year, at the Lynden Museum, on Saturday evening, Nov. 10, as part of an evening of fundraising. A possibility does exist for future showings, but that remains in the air as logistics have not yet been worked out.

To accurately depict the early 20th century characters, Baker dug deep into research. She examined the accounts of veterans, the ways they coped following the war and the memoirs of nurses who described watching military men venture off to the front lines, whistling and smiling, only to re-

Director Ashton Lundy, right, watches as actors run through a Sunday rehearsal. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune) turn in pieces.

She read the Rebecca West novel “The Return of the Soldier” and historical articles found with online resources. She consumed written works by soldiers and poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. With research and drafting, it was a six-month process.

“It was quite an experience to write,” Baker said, “especially reading the accounts of people and how they found ways to cope.”

Actor Travis Remy, who plays Mr. Smith, father of nurse Nancy Smith, said there’s something powerful about watching a piece based on true accounts, and that it’s important to preserve the stories of veterans, as more generations age and die.

“Have as many exhibits as you want, but until you hear these stories and these poems and true accounts, it’s hard to gather what it was like to be in a trench for two and

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a half weeks being shot at and surrounded by dead bodies,” Remy said.

The play centers on the return of three individuals from war in 1918, one of which is the historical Lynden figure Gale Edson, son of Ed Edson — early settler, City Drug Store operator and respected Lynden mayor.

Troy Luginbill of the museum helped to fill Baker in on the details of Gale Edson.

Luginbill had discovered a published article of Gale that helped to inspire. One of his anecdotes about driving an ambulance during a gas attack was lifted from the article and will be used to give voice to his character.

"It kind of takes a step off of what we were doing with the Ella Higginson piece,” Lundy said. “We were bringing back somebody who was forgotten.”

Lundy had been to the museum “at the very least, 1,000 times,” she said. But never

Veterans Tribute had she seen Ed Edson’s name written on the wall, near a storefront meant to replicate the drug store he owned. Now, she said, she knows more about the man than she ever had before.

“It’s just something special to … remember these people,” Lundy said. “They existed. They fought. They died. You have to respect that.”

The production uses many of these prop store-and-building fronts housed in the museum. It begins at the train station, on what could be deemed the main stage in the front of the room, and from there splits into three vignettes, following each character, but still seamlessly blending together.

Many of those helping to make the one-time production happen to have ties to the military, including young Betty Schrengohst. The little actress plays the child of one of the returned soldiers. In her non-fiction life, she is the daughter of an army reservist, currently away in Kuwait. He’s been gone since last winter.

“She thinks she can play this role well since she knows how it feels to have her daddy gone,” said Jenna Schrengohst, her mother.

And actor Glen Bristow was part of the Continued on the next page

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Veterans Tribute U.S. Marine Corps Reserve toward the end of President Clinton’s administration. His grandfather, of the same name, served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. “He flew an aircraft carrier several times prepared to engage in combat,” Bistrow said. “There was this psychological tactic of getting fighters ready to fight, and thinking they were going to fight. But he never actually did engage with any aircraft.

The way it works, until you come home you don’t know it’s a drill.”

Participants will enjoy dinner, as the play happens around the various sides of the room. In addition to the presentation, there will be a silent auction with antique and collectors’ items.

The production will last less than an hour, but the impact, the crew hopes, will last forever.

“One of the things that came up for me, in conversations, was the way in which we consider war to be over when the armistice is signed,” Baker said. “But the trauma continues to reverberate.

“Just because the war ended doesn’t mean the struggles end.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets at the advanced cost of $25, contact Troy Luginbill at 360-354-3675 or email the Lynden Pioneer Museum at lyndenpioneer@gmail.com.

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, November 7, 2018 | Ferndale Record

Walter Lutsch, acting in the role of Gale Edson, performs in front of the museum's mock drug store front. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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Veterans Tribute

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, November 7, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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Excerpts from the time ...

Lynden-area boys were returning home from Europe in late 1918 Editor’s Note: These are excerpts from editions of The Lynden Tribune at the end of 1918 as the Great War in Europe was ending and local boys were returning home.

Dec. 12, 1918 Lynden Boys Begin To Return from War First Pair Arrives from Fort McDowell in California The exodus of Lynden boys back to the farms from the army and navy began this week, with the arrival in the city of Abon Johnson and Lucas De Koster, who had been honorably discharged from the army.

They came from Fort McDowell, California, and are the earliest arrivals of the Lynden soldiers.

From now on, the boys will be returning almost daily, as discharges are being made wholesale at many points throughout the country. The Naval Training Camp at Seattle is emptying out at the rate of two hundred a day.

Dec. 12, 1918 News of Lynden Nick Honcoop has arrived home from Fort Stevens, Oregon, having received an honorable discharge from the army.

Dec. 12, 1918 On Way to France, Lynden Boy Called Back Again Although his ship was already on the high seas, Henry Top of Lynden never reached France last month. A wireless notified the captain that an armistice had been signed

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and ordered him to return to New York.

Dec. 12, 1918 Lynden Boys Go Through Battles Abroad Unharmed Many Lynden boys now in France have been reported safe since the close of the war.

Among them are Will Noteboom, the Hatley brothers and Gale Edson.

Dec. 19, 1918 Fred Rockey Returns to U.S. on Giant Transport Fred Rockey returned to the United States Monday on the giant American transport Leviathan, according to a message received this week by his parents. He is expected to arrive home shortly.

Rockey made the trip to England on the Leviathan, which is the biggest vessel afloat.

It was formerly the German-American liner Vaterland. It brought back 8,000 soldiers Monday, more than the total population of Lynden, Blaine, Ferndale, Sumas and Everson.

Dec. 19, 1918 News of Lynden John LeCocq has returned to Camp Kearney in California.

Dec. 26, 1918 News of Lynden Kenneth Slade is visiting at home, having been honorably discharged from the army.

Will Rutgers has been given his discharge from the navy and has arrived home.

John Theel has been hononably discharged from the army and is now at home.

Frank Worthen is now stationed at Bordeaux, France.

Henry Hoksbergen arrived home this week.

Simon Louws has returned home, having been honorably discharged from the

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Egbert Roo returned to Lynden Friday, having been honorably discharged from the army.

Fred De Hoogh of Lynden was walking along the street the other day in Washington, D.C., when he heard his name called.

He turned around and saw Lester Landaal.

Whereupon both boys from Lynden celebrated together.

Dec. 26, 1918 Lynden Boy Falls into Hands of Huns, But is Now Reported Released Robert E. Blow was captured by the Germans Nov. 4 and was released Nov. 16.

This was the good news just received by Mrs. Ida Blow, his mother. He is now with his company again.

A telegram was received this week by Mrs. Blow of Lynden from Washington, D.C., notifying her that her son had been reported missing in action Nov. 4.

Mrs. Blow had not heard from her son in some time, and the news that he was missing carried no details with it.

Another son is also serving with the army in France.

Dec. 26, 1918 Huns Out of Food at End, Says Local Boy Will Noteboom Says German Soldiers Were Short on Meals and Clothes When Armistice Came Will Noteboom is tramping over Belgium these days. In a letter received here this week, he says that his regiment has been on the move continually and has never stopped except in two places for a total of eight days.

“Since the first of September, we have either been on the front or on the march all the time,” he writes. “I can understand the Belgians very well, so have been interpreting for the cooks and sure have lots of fun with them. Have seen some real nice looking Belgium girls, but most of them look rather hard. Wooden shoes seem to be very

Eleven from the Lynden area lost their lives serving in World War I, according to the monument in Centennial Park: William Lee Alexander, William F. Bare, Nick Beltman, Hugo Joseph Biehle, Richard Flotre, John Hughey, Lambertus Helder, Arvid C. Johnson, Milton R. Shirk, Claude M. Ward and Arthur E. Warson. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

popular in both France and Belgium. Certainly have seen some pretty horses and cows in both France and Belgium, but Belgium seems to have the best.”

“The Germans in many cases have stolen both cows and horses, as well as grain, as they retreated, so naturally the Belgians think we are just about it. Many of the natives have told me that if it hadn’t been for the Americans that all of the Belgians would have starved a long time ago.

“The German soldiers, so the Belgians tells us, had but very little left to eat, and practically no clothes to wear.”

Dec. 26, 1918 Hunger Draws the Map As of Dec. 1, 1918, a food map of Europe shows not a single country in which the future does not hold threat of serious difficulties and only a small part that is not rapidly approaching the famine point.

America has made a food pledge of 20 million tons.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, November 7, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, November 7, 2018 | Ferndale Record

Veterans Tribute