VETERANS DAY SPECIAL SECTION NOVEMBER 2013
We salute our veterans See section online at tricityherald.com/veterans-day
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VETERANS
TRI-CITY HERALD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
DOROTHY FISHER WASHBURN
First Lt. Dorothy Fisher Washburn served in the Army Nurse Corps stationed at Fort Polk, La. She instructed medical technology students who were deployed after eight weeks of training to serve in Korea. From Fort Polk, she was assigned to the 97th General Military Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. She worked at Kadlec Hospital in Richland and as coordinator of Health Services for the Richland School District. She is retired. She and her husband, Dale, will celebrate their 61st wedding anniversary Nov. 15.
WILLIS L. THIRTYACRE
Willis Lloyd Thirtyacre was a driver for the 146th Field Artillery and Col. Weyrich during World War I. Both men came from German immigrant families (our family name was translated from the German Dreissigacker) and spoke German and English growing up. Under bombardment by the Germans, the Colonel lapsed into the language of his youth and yelled at him, “Gott in Himmel, Dreissigacker, Schnell! Schnell!!” They ‘schnelled’ right out of there and got to safety. Willis’ granddaughter, Kathy Person, lives in Richland.
MARION P. WALTER
DALE WASHBURN
First Lt. Dale Washburn was in the Corps of Engineers at Fort Polk, La. He was deployed to the 4th Infantry Division with headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. After discharge from the service, he completed his education for a Ph.D. in engineering at UCLA. He is retired from Westinghouse in Richland.
DONALD STUMETZ
In October 1951, Donald Stumetz was inducted into the Marine Corps during the Korean conflict, put on a troop train from Peoria, Ill., bound for the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego, Calif. After boot camp, he was stationed in the supply branch at Yermo, Calif., as a private first class. During that time, he met his wife and married in 1955. They were blessed with five children, 14 grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. They moved to Richland in 2006 to be near family living in the Northwest after retiring from the dry-cleaning business in San Diego.
RAYMOND E. MERCER
HENRY L. LEIGLAND
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CLARK E. HODGE
Clark Hodge enlisted in the Navy after high school in 1955 and was honorably discharged in 1959. While in the Navy, he was in the Drum and Bugle Corps and served aboard the USS Missouri. After completing his tour of duty, Clark attended college on the GI Bill. He worked on the Hanford site as a project engineer, retiring from Westinghouse Hanford in October 1995. He received his real estate license in February 1997 and works for Distinctive Properties in Kennewick. He still plays the trumpet and flugelhorn with dance bands in the TriCities.
Marcellus “Marc” Henderson of Richland completed Army basic training at Camp (now Fort) Chaffee near Fort Smith, Ark., in 1954. He served with the 532nd Military Intelligence Battalion as a translator/interpreter in West Germany. He carried on a family tradition in the military.
THOMAS O. McMILLIN
Henry Leon Leigland was honorably discharged from the Navy on Dec. 25, 1945, as a Seaman First Class. He was 17 and living in Great Falls, Mont., when he enlisted and was sent to Farragut, Idaho. He had a couple of weeks of training, then boarded a train to Astoria, Ore., where he boarded the USS Steamer Bay (CVE-87). This Casablanca-class escort carrier spent two years in the Pacific. The Steamer Bay received six battle stars for World War II service. He and his wife, Alta, live in Kennewick.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Raymond Earl Mercer fibbed about his age and joined Morrison/ Knudson Construction Co. from Boise to build a sub base and runways on Wake Island. He turned 17 years old in September 1941 on Wake Island. The Japanese invaded the island in December 1941, and Mercer spent 44 months as a prisoner of war at various POW camps in China and Japan. He was given a Navy commission due to the efforts of civilians to assist the military in defending the island. He lived in Richland and Kennewick for 59 years. He died in April 2009.
MARCELLUS ‘MARC’ HENDERSON
Petty Officer Tom McMillin served in the Navy Seabees with the 1st Marine Air Wing, Detachment B, at the K-6 Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
NOAH E. ARVAN EUGENE G. GUSE Marine Corps Sgt. Eugene G. Guse served a tour of duty that included Camp Pendleton, Camp Lejeune and Vietnam. He supported all operations in the I Corps from January 1968 to October 1969, and he supported operations and control and ordered the area of Khe Sanh while under heavy fire. Guse received the Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and Presidential Unit Citation with one star. Gene and his wife, Judy, moved from Wisconsin to Kennewick more than 30 years ago. He owns and operates a concrete construction business.
RICHARD A. LORD (LEFT) AND JOHN HULICK
Petty Officer 2nd Class Marion Walter served in the Navy Seabees, 56th battalion, from 1942-45 in Hawaii and Guam. He watched and listened to the American invasion of Guam in summer 1944 from a ship. He was then assigned to go ashore and bury the dead. He stayed there until after the war, building air strips, hospitals, barracks and pulling guard duty against Japanese soldiers still at large. He farmed north of Pasco for about 35 years and has since lived in Pasco with his wife Margret since 1996. They have been married for 67 years.
Retired Sgt. 1st Class Richard A. Lord, the father of Kristina Lord, grandfather of Kate and Klara Hulick and father-in-law of John Hulick, all of West Richland, joined the Navy in 1962 and served for four years. He was among the first to arrive in Vietnam as a Seabee and helped build roads there. In 1975, he joined the Army, where he worked as a recruiter, platoon sergeant of a Hawk missile firing section and as a senior instructor in Air Base Ground Defense, training about 2,000 Air Force security police each year in basic infantry tactics. He received numerous ribbons, medals and accolades for his service before retiring in 1991. He died in 2011. Navy Senior Chief John Hulick of West Richland serves with Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 5 and as assistant company commander for Headquarters Co. He has served in the Navy Reserves for 19 years. He’s been mobilized twice — to Yokosuka, Japan, and Kuwait. He has received the Army Commendation Medal and two Navy Achievement Medals. He teaches social studies at Sunnyside High School.
ON THE COVER A member of the Fraternal Order of Police Honor Guard stands watch at the 9/11 Memorial in Kennewick. The recent ceremony marked the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Richard Dickin | rdickin@tricityherald.com
Cpl. Noah Arvan, Marine Corps, graduated from Kennewick High in 2002 and joined the Marine Corps in November of that year. He graduated from boot camp in February 2003 and graduated from Military Police Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., in July. In September 2003, he was deployed for his first tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he trained Iraqi police. He served two tours in Iraq before being honorably discharged in 2006 and was released from inactive duty in 2010.
BANE E. BLANKENSHIP
Pfc. Bane E. Blankenship served with the 101st Airborne Division in World War II from Normandy, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. He earned two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts and said, “With God’s goodness I made it home.” He worked as a carpenter on the Hanford project, then as an insurance agent, Realtor and contractor.
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 | TRI-CITY HERALD
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VETERANS
TRI-CITY HERALD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
CHRISTIAN PETERSEN
LYLE PETERSEN
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BRENT L. PETERSEN
BETHEL DEATON Tech 4 Bethel Deaton served in the Army during World War II with the 381st Infantry and was wounded in the Battle of Iwo Jima in Okinawa, Japan. He was born in Spencerville, Okla., but relocated to Benton County after the war to be near his father, Oscie Deaton, and siblings in Prosser and Whitstran.
Army Pfc. Christian Petersen emigrated to Benton City from Hojlund, Denmark, in 1909 and there he met his future wife, Edna Alsbury. When World War I started, he enlisted in Prosser, serving in the Army from 1917-19 with Battery D, 346th Field Artillery based at Camp Lewis, Wash. He returned to Europe in 1918 with the American Expeditionary Force to fight for his new country.
Army Spc. Lyle Petersen served from 1944-67 and was stationed in South Korea during the Korean War. He served in the military police and armor. He enlisted in Prosser. His father, Christian Petersen, was in the Army in World War I, and seven of his children served in the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Recently his grandson, Billy Petersen, served in the Army as a combat medic with tours in Bosnia and Iraq.
Master Sgt. Brent Petersen served in the Marine Corps from 1969-90 and during the Vietnam War. He was a flight engineer on the Hercules KC-130 aircraft stationed with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR352), Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, Calif. He also had tours of duty in Okinawa, Japan, and the Republic of Singapore. He enlisted in Prosser.
SAMUEL DEAN
BASIL W. DEAN
JACK DEAN
Pfc. Basil Dean served in the Army Air Corps during World War II with the 314th Wing in the Air Offensive Japan, Western Pacific Campaign from 1942-45. He was born in Minnesota, but after his discharge in 1945, he made his home in Prosser, where his family relocated and he met his future wife, Era Adcock of Prosser. He was a member of the Laborer’s Local Union #348 for 50 years and worked on several dams in the area, including McNary, Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental and John Day.
Cpl. Jack Dean served in the Army in the 12th Corps, 3rd Army under Gen. George S. Patton during World War II. He fought in several battles including the Battle of Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of the Rhineland, the Battle of Central Europe and the Battle of Germany. He lived in Richland and now lives in Prosser.
OLEN W. ADCOCK
Pfc. Olen Adcock served in the Army from 1952-54 during the Korean conflict era. He was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii, attached with the military police. He and his wife, Dorothy, made their home in Kennewick and both worked for the Tri-City Herald.
Pvt. Samuel Dean was a volunteer patriot soldier of the Massachusetts Militia who fought for the freedom of America in the Revolutionary War. He was engaged in the Siege of Fort Ticonderoga and the Battles of Saratoga, both in 1777. He relocated to Ohio and received a Revolutionary War Pension. He is listed in the Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolution buried in Ohio. Samuel was the great-great-grandfather of Basil and Jack Dean of Prosser.
JOHN CURTIS ‘J.C.’ CHILDS JR. MILFORD A. ADCOCK
Spc. 4 Milford Adcock served in the Army from 1965-68 during the Vietnam War with the 502 Battalion Admin. He graduated from Prosser High School.
JOHN E. BUCKINGHAM
Army Pvt. John Buckingham was in Fort Ord, Calif., when this photo was taken in 1974. He went to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., to study ammunition storage and demolition and finished at his permanent duty station at Fort Lewis in Tacoma.
JACK M. CHILDS
Maj. John Curtis “J.C.” Childs Jr. served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and Korean War as a P-47 and P-51 pilot. He was born in Little Rock, Ark., and is pictured here with his friend, Huey Lamb, a P-51 pilot from Texas. Childs rescued Lamb after his airplane froze and went down in the North Sea during World War II. Lamb was one of the first men to shoot down a German jet fighter plane. Childs received the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal. He is the brother of the recently deceased Clara Petersen of Prosser.
JACK R. BARGER
In 1946, Jack Barger served in the Army, 3rd Battalion, with the 188th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division in Sendai, Japan.
WILLIAM HUG
DON WICKS
J.W. ‘BILL’ MALLEY
Don Wicks spent 30 years in the Army as a Cavalry Scout. Half of his career was overseas in Korea, Germany and Vietnam, the other half as an instructor. After retiring in 1988 as a senior noncommissioned officer, he moved to Richland to work at Hanford. He retired from Hanford 17 years later. He is the Disaster Chairman and Operation Manager for the local Red Cross Disaster Services. During national deployments, he deploys on the National Security Team as a lead. This photo was taken in 1969 at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Air Force Pfc. J.W. “Bill” Malley joined the Army Aviation Cadets at age 17 in March 1943 while living in Boston. After pilot training, B-17 gunnery school, B-29 gunnery school and working as an interpreter and translator for Free French Aviation Cadets in Georgia, he was discharged in March 1946. He went to Washington State College on the GI Bill and graduated in 1951 with a pharmacy degree. In 1961, he moved to Richland and owned Malley’s Pharmacy until selling it in 1987.
CATHERINE HUG Navy Seaman William Hug of Kennewick joined the Navy on Dec. 7, 1941. He was stationed on a variety of ships, including the destroyer USS Curtis and the aircraft carrier USS Boxer. He served the majority of his time in the South Pacific until World War II ended in 1945. He was in the Philippines, where the U.S. was staging many forces for the assault on Japan, when Japan surrendered.
Lt. Cmdr. Jack Childs is a veteran of the Navy and served as a Radar Intercept Officer for the F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat aircraft during the Vietnam War era. Jack is the vet on the left side of the photo in his flight suit, and the man to the right is his brother, Maj. John C. Childs, Ret., U.S. Army Air Corps, who was a P-47 and P-51 pilot in World War II and the Korean conflict. They are brothers of the recently deceased Clara Petersen of Prosser.
ERIC GAU Army Lt. Catherine Hug of Kennewick completed her nursing boards in San Francisco and joined the Army as a nurse in 1942. She was in England and France and was allowed to walk into Germany by a U.S. border guard. She was only allowed to walk in and immediately walk out. She arrived in France on Omaha Beach after it was secured and helped treat wounded soldiers on both sides of the battle. She was working on a hospital train moving wounded soldiers when the train was strafed by German war planes.
Army Sgt. Eric Gau joined the Army out of high school. He is stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska, with Stryker brigade. He was deployed twice to Iraq and was a member of the invasion force. He also has been deployed twice to Afghanistan.
O. E. ‘ERNIE’ BOSTON
O. E. “Ernie” Boston enlisted in the Navy at 17 and served 21⁄2 years during World War II. His training was in Neuropsychiatry School, and as a pharmacist mate, he worked with trauma victims returning from war zones to the Naval Hospital at Great Lakes, Ill. He often transported patients in his custody who needed to be restrained for travelling. He was discharged June 1, 1946, but was recalled to active duty during the Korean emergency and served 11⁄2 years at the Medical Research Lab at the Naval Submarine Base in New London, Conn., assisting in the screening of candidates for submarine service. He served 17 years as a Port of Pasco commissioner and was honored as Tri-Citian of the Year in 1986. He died in May 2012.
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+ THANK YOU +
VETERANS
“During this Veterans Day, we pause to remember the sacrifices our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen have made in serving our Nation, where and when they were needed. From one generation to the next, young men and women have willingly joined the ranks of America’s Armed Forces. Aware of their obligations as citizens of the greatest Nation on earth, they answered its call; they served the United States with courage and commitment. For more than two centuries, American Military Personnel have preserved the liberty our forefathers earned by their willingness to fight for it, whatever the cost. Our Military has a long and proud history, filled with tradition and pivotal moments in service to our Nation. From the battlefields of Lexington and Bunker Hill, to Normandy, Vietnam, The Gulf, Afghanistan, Iraq and beyond, American Fighting Men and Women have stood firm against those who would deny basic human dignity to others. We honor each of you, America’s veterans, who served so faithfully and honorably. Through your sacrifices you have secured for millions of others the blessings of freedom, democracy, and the unmatched opportunities that we enjoy in the United States today. May each of you have a safe Veterans Day. God bless each of you and your families, God bless our Military Personnel, and God bless the United States of America.”
THE PASCO AUTOPLEX • 1-877-297-2163 • RUSSDEANRV.COM
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VETERANS
TRI-CITY HERALD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
HAROLD TESKY
MICHAEL TESKY
Electronics Technician Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Tesky served in the Navy from June 1967 to November 1973 in the U.S. Atlantic Submarine Force. He spent three years on the USS Orion (AS-18), two years teaching Advanced Electronics School at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Conn. He was born and raised in Richland, and graduated from Columbia (Richland) High School in 1967. He and his wife, Carol, have been married for 40 years and live in Kennewick.
Harold Tesky (EM-I) served in the Navy from December 1941 to November 1945 in the U.S. Pacific Fleet. He also served at naval stations Pearl Harbor, Johnston Island and Marshall Island, as well as on the USS Kalole (AOG-13) and USS Savo Island (CVE-77). He was born in 1918 and was raised in Ventura, N.D., and moved to Richland in August 1946. He helped build the dikes along the Tri-Cities during the 1948 floods. He worked at Hanford and retired in 1980. Harold died in July 2001.
GEORGE I. CARPENTER
Pvt. George I. Carpenter served in the Army infantry in World War I. He moved from Michigan to the TriCities in 1947 to work as a carpenter at Hanford, then later built dams along the Columbia and Snake rivers. He retired and remained in the Tri-Cities until his death in 1971.
EDWARD TINKER
JEREMIAH TINKER
Staff Sgt. Edward Tinker joined the Army in January 1980 after graduating from Kamiakin High the year before. His first duty station with Army Military Police in Fort Polk, La., started in 1981. Other assignments took him to Hawaii, Fort McClellan in Alabama, Korea, Fort Lewis and Montana, as an Army recruiter. He spent his last seven years in the Army with the 254th Base Support Battalion in the Netherlands. Edward graduated from Kamiakin High in 1979 and his family still lives in the Tri-Cities. He lives in Harleysville, Pa.
Sgt. Jeremiah Tinker joined the Army after graduating from high school in Palouse in 2001. He went to Kuwait during the second Gulf War. He was sent to Iraq in 2005. He left the Army and went to Iraq and Kuwait as a civilian, then entered the Reserves. He was sent to Afghanistan in 2009-10. His dad, Edward Tinker, graduated from Kamiakin High, and his grandparents live in the Tri-Cities.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Dan Reisch served four years in the Coast Guard from 1971-75, with one year on Iwo Jima. Clover Island was his last duty station. He is a union electrician working in the Hanford area. He is married and living in Kennewick.
DONALD HOLLENBAUGH Master Sgt. Donald Hollenbaugh graduated from Prescott High School in 1982. He attended Army basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. He is the recipient of 26 military medals. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Vice President Dick Cheney at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., on June 10, 2005. He received the DSC “for conspicuous gallantry” and “leadership excellence” as team leader during a siege in Fallujah, Iraq. He was discharged Sept. 1, 2005. He is employed by a Government Training Institute in Boise where his assignments include training law enforcement officers and SWAT team members in tactical operations, including shooting and breaching.
CHRISTOPHER LITTRELL
GARY A. CARPENTER SR.
Pvt. Gary A. Carpenter Sr. served in the Army’s 82nd Airborne in World War II. He came to the Tri-Cities in 1948 after serving as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. He was a pilot on the ferry between Umatilla and Plymouth until the bridge was built. He later coowned an automotive repair business in Kennewick, then worked as a millwright at Hanford until his retirement in 1988. He lives in Richland.
GENE WERTMAN
Army Sgt. Gene Wertman was drafted in 1966 and first stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco, Calif., before being sent to Vietnam in September 1966 for one year. Back in the United States, he served at Fort McClellan, Ala., coming back to California in February 1968. He worked for Purity Stores and Safeway in California before moving to the Tri-Cities, arriving in February 1984, to work at Mayfair Market on 10th and Washington in Kennewick. It later became the Family Grocer and now Red Apple. He retired from the grocery business in 2004 and now delivers Meals on Wheels and helps the recycling program at the First Methodist Church in downtown Kennewick.
JOHN POPE
JACK E. JONES
DAN REISCH
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Jack Jones moved from Portland to the Tri-Cities in 1942. His sister was married to a chief petty officer at the Pasco Naval Air Station at that time. She called his parents and said there was plenty of work at Hanford. He joined the Air Force in 1950, and his highest rank was sergeant. He served one year in a combat zone in Korea and was rotated home. He also served in the Army, Army National Guard and Navy Seabees. He has had a pilot’s license since he was 17 and still rides a motorcycle. He lives in Kennewick and said he is 83 and still kicking.
Maj. John Pope enlisted in the Army, attended officer candidate school and flew helicopters in Vietnam. After three tours, he retired in 1973 and settled in his home state of Texas. John died in 2002. John’s son-in-law, Edward Tinker, grew up in Kennewick and graduated from Kamiakin High.
VICTOR R. WEIL
Army Staff Sgt. Victor Weil served in Korea from 1954-55. When he was discharged, he returned to his home in Spokane and attended Gonzaga University on the GI Bill. He graduated in 1961 with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and was hired by General Electric at Hanford. He and his wife, Clara, settled in Richland and had four children. He worked for a number of contractors, retiring in 1994. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and volunteers at the Richland Food Bank.
MAUREEN WEIL
Maureen Weil graduated from Richland High School and attended Gonzaga University on an Army ROTC scholarship, graduating in 1991 with a degree in biology. She was commissioned a second lieutenant and served her first tour of duty in Korea, where she met her husband, Brady Schafer. They were married in 1993 after returning home. At the time she finished her four-year obligation, she was a first lieutenant. She lives in Maryland and is part of a homeschool co-op, where she teaches science and homeschools her children.
CHAD LITTRELL VERL POTTER
Christopher Littrell served in the Air Force from 1999-2005 and was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He was deployed to Kunsan Air Base in Korea, and then to Tallil Air Base in Iraq. He finished his career as a staff sergeant at McChord Air Force Base.
Senior Airman Chad Littrell served in the Air Force from 199397. He was deployed from Altus, Okla., to Operation Safe Haven, Panama, from September 1994 to February 1995.
Verl Potter served in the Air Force from 1964-68, serving as an airman 1st class. After basic training in San Antonio, Texas, he went to Biloxi, Miss., and then to San Angelo, Texas, for radio operator training. He was sent overseas, where he spent 14 months on Crete, Greece, and four months in Turkey. He then spent 18 months at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. During his time in the Air Force, he visited 10 countries. Has lived in Richland since 1983.
VETERANS
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WAYNE VAN GORDER Wayne Van Gorder enlisted in the Navy in 1941, knowing he could broaden his communication skills. He enrolled at San Diego Naval Training station. With bags packed, he was to go aboard the USS Lexington, but instead wound up in the hospital with a severe case of ptomaine poisoning. The USS Lexington went down during the Battle of the Coral Sea and many lives were lost, including the radiomen who graduated at the same time. Wayne later served as radio operator aboard a sub chaser whose targets were German submarines hovering off the Atlantic coast, as well as AKA74 Lenoir, an attack transport during the Battle of Okinawa and Iwo Jima. He feels blessed that guardian angels kept him out of harm’s way.
BRIAN R. FAST Chief Petty Officer Brian Fast graduated from Pasco High School in 1975 and joined the Navy in August of that year. Between January and May 1976, he was stationed on the USS Milwaukee (AOR-2), with his homeport in Norfolk, Va. He attended the Navy Nuclear Power School in Orlando, Fla., from May to December 1976. From January 1988 to December 1981, he was assigned to the USS Sacramento AOE-1, with his homeport in Bremerton. In 1981, he advanced to machinist mate third class and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal. From December 1982 to December 1983, he was assigned to the USS New Jersey (BB-62) with his homeport in Long Beach, Calif. He advanced to machinist mate first class and was awarded a second Navy Achievement Medal. From January 1984 to January 1986, he was assigned to shore duty at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. From March 1986 to August 1989, he served on the USS Cochrane DDG-21, with his homeport in Yokosuka, Japan. He was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal and was discharged in 1989.
MARK I. FAST
Army E4 Spc. 1st Class Mark Fast served in Vietnam from 1970-71. He was a member of the Red Devils 1/92 Artillery, Brave Cannons on Artillery Hill. Mark is considered 100 percent disabled by the VA because of Agent Orange. He lives in Kennewick.
HELEN M. INGERSOLL
Lt. Junior Grade Helen Ingersoll served in the Navy from 1944-46. She worked at naval hospitals in Bremerton and Long Beach.
LOYD R. AMAN
Staff Sgt. Loyd Aman is a veteran of World War II. He graduated from Kennewick High School in 1947 and died June 12, 1992.
RICHARD C. INGERSOLL
Electrician’s Mate 1st Class Richard Ingersoll served in the Navy from April 1941 to November 1945. He served on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga and received nine battle stars.
KENNETH SCOTT AGEN
Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Scott Agen served in the Navy from December 1976 to December 1979 and in the Reserves from 1979-83.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 | TRI-CITY HERALD
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VETERANS
TRI-CITY HERALD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
JOSHUA D. ESLINGER
SCOTT T. ESLINGER
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OLIVER AND MARION ROUTH
Cpl. Oliver Routh and Pvt. 1st Class Marion Routh, brothers, served in the Army from 1945-48. They were born and raised in Kennewick. Their parents are Howard and Elsie Routh.
Joshua Eslinger moved to Kennewick with his family in 1996 and graduated from Kamiakin High School in 2003. He joined the Oregon Army National Guard in 2001, deployed in 2005-06 to Afghanistan with Operating Enduring Freedom as a Chinook helicopter mechanic. He then received a scholarship for the ROTC Program at Gonzaga University, graduating in 2011 and was commissioned as an officer in Army. He was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. He was deployed again to Afghanistan in 2012-13, returning in August. He is stationed at Fort Campbell as a Calvary’s Battalion (Squadron) Communications officer for 1st Brigade, 1-327 Calvary, Squadron S6.
Scott Eslinger moved to Kennewick with his family in 1996 and graduated from Kamiakin High School in 2005. He joined the Oregon Army National Guard during his senior year. He deployed to Iraq in 2010-11 with Operation New Dawn, where he was a production controller for his unit. He is still an active member of the Oregon National Guard where his is an E-5. He works for Department of Defense at the Guard Armory in LaGrande as a mechanic.
LAWRENCE JACOBS
ROGER LAHTI
CAMERON FOSTER
DAVID L. EASLEY
Airman 1st Class David Easley was a flight engineer in the Air Force from 1953-57. He helped transport troops from Korea to Okinawa, Japan, and was stationed at Brady Air Base in Japan. He has lived in the Tri-Cities since 1967 and retired from the Army Corps of Engineers in 1996.
Richland Terry Sliger
1329 Aaron Dr. 509-943-2920
Steve Ricketts, AAMS® 303 Bradley Blvd., Ste 106 509-946-3299
Master Sgt. Lawrence Jacobs joined the Marines in 1943 out of Tillamook, Ore. He was in the First Division and served in the North Pacific Islands, including at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After World War II, he was stationed in China and enjoyed the people there. He came home in 1947, and in 1951, he sold his business and said goodbye to his family to go to Korea with the Marines. He was there for a year and a half and was honorably discharged in 1952.
Brian Harrison
Paul Huntsman
Harry Van Dyken
Karee Devoir
1060 Jadwin, Suite 325 509-943-1441 2735 Queensgate Drive 509-627-6537
West Richland
Shelley Kennedy, CFP® Chad T. McDonald 470 Williams Blvd. 509-946-7626
Dan Kennedy 606 Gage Blvd. 509-627-1049
Paul Moore, AAMS® 217 Van Giesen St. 509-946-0454
Randy Johnston
112 Columbia Point Dr Suite 104 509-946-9500
4900 Paradise Way, Suite 108 509-967-5890
Kennewick Mike Wallace, AAMS®
1721 Kennewick Ave, Ste 2C 509-582-3611
T.J. Willingham
1020 N. Center Parkway, Ste D 509-735-1497
David Peters, AAMS®
8836 Gage Blvd.,Ste 102-A 509-736-1442
16 W. Kennewick Ave. Ste 101 509-783-2041 4303 W 27th Ave, Suite F 509-735-4169
Jay Wildgen
6855 W Clearwater, Suite C 509-783-2042
Pasco Ryan Brault, AAMS® 3616 W. Court St., Ste I 509-545-8121
Joy Behen
6115 Burden Blvd, Ste A 509-542-1626
Prosser Bill Jenkin, AAMS® 1119 Meade Avenue 509-786-7787
Cpl. Cameron Foster served with the 1st Battalion 8th Marines as a radio operator for scout snipers. He is stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and served in Afghanistan from January to August 2012. He was born and raised in Richland and graduated from Richland High School.
Boatswain’s Mate Senior Chief Petty Officer Roger Lahti served on a Navy ammunition ship at the start of the Vietnam War from 1963-65, witnessing the USS Maddox incident in the Gulf of Tonkin. He stayed in the Reserves after his active duty and was called up with his Navy Cargo Handling Battalion in 1990 for Desert Storm and served until deactivated in 1991. His last deployment before retirement was in Subic Bay, Philippines. He was born and raised in Kennewick, where he still lives.
VETERANS
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RAY RANSIER
DENZIL (PETE), ED AND BILL SHANE
Marine Sgt. Ray Ransier of Pasco served from 1990-96 and is a veteran of Desert Storm. He was a tank commander.
The Shane brothers moved to Richland in 1949 with their parents and sister. Ed and Bill graduated from Columbia High School in Richland. They served in the military during the Korean War with one always left at home. Pfc. Denzil (Pete) Shane drove an Army truck on the front lines in Korea. Ed Shane served in the Navy as an engineman on a tanker stationed at Sasebo, Japan. He was in port when Pete was sent there on R&R. Cpl. Bill Shane worked in finance in the Army and served his time in Europe. After the service, Pete worked for the city of Pasco, Ed worked for the city of Richland and Bill worked in the Hanford area.
Marine Cpl. Greg Ransier of Pasco served in Desert Storm from 1988-92.
KEN HOOPENGARNER GODFREY STEVENSON JERRY ARBOGAST DEE CRITTENDEN
Ken Hoopengarner enlisted in the Army in 1971 to avoid being drafted and sent to Vietnam. In true military fashion, he was immediately sent there and served at a communications center with the 1st Signal Division near Saigon. After the war, he was posted to Okinawa, Japan, for the rest of his overseas duty. Despite reservations about the war, he was proud to serve and used the GI Bill to attend college and purchase his first home. Retired after a career in journalism, Ken lives in Benton City with his wife, Susan.
Dee Crittenden of Richland was in the Army and joined the Thunderbirds of the 180th Infantry under Gen. George Patton’s 45th Division. The 45th was one of the most decorated divisions of World War II. Godfrey Stevenson served with the infantry in Europe during World War I. His grandson Marc Stevenson wore parts of his military uniform in the mid-1950s in Wakefield, Mich. Godfrey was exposed to mustard gas in Europe during World War I and suffered chronic lung problems until his death in the late 1950s.
Marine Cpl. Jerry Arbogast served from 1954-56 and worked as a radio operator and lineman. He was stationed at Paengnyong-do and Yonghung-do in the South Korean Islands as part of the West Coast Island Defense Unit and First Tank Battalion out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
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VETERANS
TRI-CITY HERALD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
ROY BACON
Army Lt. Roy Bacon of Terry, Mont., served in the South Pacific during World War II. He is the deceased brother of Opal DeVine of Richland.
KEN W. COLBY
MELVIN BACON
FRANK DEVINE
Army Sgt. Melvin Bacon of Terry, Mont., served in the South Pacific during World War II. He is the deceased brother of Opal DeVine of Richland.
Army Sgt. Frank DeVine of Terry, Mont., served in Iceland and the European Theater during World War II. He died in March 2007 and is survived by his wife, Opal DeVine of Richland.
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JOSEPH T. HENDRICKS
Navy Radioman 1st Class Joseph T. Henricks served during World War II from 1941-45. He was honorably discharged. He served on Admiral’s Staff aboard the 795 Metcalf and Cowell destroyers and 748 Subchaser. He farmed and raised his family in Burbank Heights. He died in 2008.
CHARLES ‘PETE’ BUHRIG
JOSEPH M. HENDRICKS
Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph M. Henricks served in the Navy during the Vietnam War from 1968-72. He served aboard the USS Enterprise and worked heroically during a Jan. 14, 1969, on-board jet rocket explosion to care for the injured and put out the fire. He was raised and still lives in the Tri-Cities.
JOSHUA R. SOUTHERLAND
Chief Warrant Officer Ken Colby served in Vietnam from 1966-67 and from 1969-70. He lives in West Richland.
AL STEIGER
Sgt. Charles “Pete” Buhrig served in the Army in Korea from 1952-53 with the 27th Wolfhounds 25th Division on Heartbreak Ridge.
WILLIAM E. ‘GENE’ WILSON
Capt. Joshua R. Southerland was born and raised in Kennewick and graduated from Kamiakin High School in 2004. He attended the University of Idaho and was commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps in 2008. He graduated first in his class from officer candidate school in Quantico, Va., where he was given a direct appointment to flight school. He is an F-18 pilot. Josh and his wife, Ally, are stationed at Miramar in San Diego and he is currently deployed aboard the USS Nimitz. His parents are Kippy and Todd Southerland of Kennewick.
Motor Machinist Mate 2nd Class Al Steiger served in the Navy on the USS Comstock, USS Satyr and USS Jason. He lives in Burbank.
LLOYD E. RICHARDS JEFFREY T. TAYLOR
Spc. Lloyd Richards, 88, of Prosser, served in the Navy for three years during World War II. He walked 20 miles with his brother to enlist and went on to serve primarily in the South Pacific. His family calls him “the gold standard of his Greatest Generation.”
Staff Sgt. William E. “Gene” Wilson served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He was drafted into the Army in spring 1964 while enrolled in San Jose City College. The Army would not allow him to delay enlistment to finish college, but the Marine Corps would, he said. So instead of serving in the Army for two years and going to West Germany, he joined the Marines and served for four years, including time in Vietnam.
DENNIS B. MORROW
JACK L. MORROW
Cpl. Jeffrey Taylor served in Al Asad, Al Anbar province, Iraq, with his Marine Reserve Unit out of Spokane from August 2004 to late February 2005. While in Iraq, he was part of the Internal Security Platoon as part of P Battery 5/14, 4th Marine Division, which was part of a Provisional Security Battalion for Al Asad. He was born and raised in Richland and is a 1998 graduate of Hanford High School.
WALTER DAVID
DENNY WELLINGTON
Electrician’s Mate Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter David enlisted in the Navy in 1950 and served three tours of duty to Korea aboard the USS Stickell. After his tour in Korea, he was transferred to the USS Philips to await his clearance to go to Eniwetok. On March 1, 1954, he was a first-hand witness to the worst radiological accident ever caused by the United States. Operation Castle Bravo detonated the first American hydrogen bomb. The test was conducted on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
Lt. Col. Denny Wellington arrived at Camp Hanford with the National Guard in the 1950s, part of the defense of Hanford during the Cold War. He and his wife, Janice, bought a ranch house in Richland, then they moved throughout the U.S. and overseas during his 22-year Army career. In 1968, Janice and their five children returned to Richland when Denny received his orders for Vietnam. He came home a year later with the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. They still live in that Richland house.
ROBERT R. MELINE
Cpl. Robert Meline entered the service Feb. 8, 1918, and was trained at Vancouver, Wash., and Camp Merritt in New Jersey for duty with Co. C, 318th Engineers. He served in the Argonne drive and the Grand Pre battle, Nov. 6, 1918, and at Verdun on Nov. 11.
Staff Sgt. Dennis Morrow joined the Marines in 1942 out of Nashville, Tenn., along with a number of his friends, all taking basic training at Parris Island, S.C. From there, the whole group shipped out to the Mariana Islands, and he was attached to the Japanese-held island of Guam. From that point, he was reluctant to talk about anything related to the rest of World War II. He was mustered out of the Marines in 1945. He came to Richland from Nashville for employment with Dupont, and he got a job with the Hanford Fire Department. His family was shocked when he was killed in a vehicle accident at the age of 55.
Airman 1st Class Jack Morrow served in the Air Force for four years keeping inventory of aircraft maintenance tools. He said these little items had a way of disappearing, more so as he was entering the Korea Theater, but the Korean War was coming to an end as the truce was delivered. He was sent to Japan for 18 months and enjoyed his time there after the war. He was rotated back to the United States and finished his tour of duty at Larson Air Force Base in Moses Lake.
VETERANS
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EDWARD LETOURNEAU
Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Edward Letourneau served in the Navy in World War II. He was a Combat Aircrew member assigned to the USS Chester Aviation Unit, where he flew backseat in an OS2U Kingfisher seaplane, launched from the ship’s catapult. His first major sea battle was the Battle of Coral Sea in May 1942. In the last two years of the war, he was assigned to Rescue Squadron-Three (VH-3) as a Combat Aircrew member on Martin Mariner PBM-5 seaplanes. He distinguished himself during hostile actions in the rescue of downed pilots and aircrew. His awards included the Air Medal with Gold Star (2nd award) and the Navy’s Distinguished Flying Cross.
GARY LETOURNEAU
Army Spc. 4 Gary Letourneau served in Vietnam in 1967-68, stationed at Can Tho. As a fuel truck driver, he delivered JP4 (jet fuel) to various helicopter companies within their fuel supply area of operation. His largest engagement during his time in Vietnam was during the Tet Offensive of 1968. He is the son of Edward Letourneau.
GEORGE E. FELTON JOE V. OSBORNE JR.
Sgt. George Everett Felton served in the Army during the Korean War, stationed at Fort Lewis. He served for seven years. He was in communications with Radio Free Europe. After he married, he moved to Michigan, his home state, then in 1961 he opened his own electronics business. In 1977, he moved back to Washington and in 1979 moved to the Tri-Cities, where he opened up the Video Service Center. In 2001, he closed the business and retired. George died July 8; he was 84.
Joe Osborne was born in Kennewick in 1922. He joined the Merchant Marine in 1940 and when World War II broke out, continued in the Merchant Marine. He was in the Invasion of Sicily, which was the largest amphibious invasion in history. Joe was asked to attend Officer Candidate School in Alameda, Calif., and upon completion was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserve. Joe returned to Kennewick, where he spent 45 years in real estate with Bob Matheson, who was also a World War II veteran. Joe’s son and grandson also served in the military.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 | TRI-CITY HERALD
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BILL LETOURNEAU
RYAN LETOURNEAU
Bill Letourneau served in the Navy and was deployed to Vietnam during 1971-72 as a member of Attack Squadron Twenty-Two (VA-22) aboard the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43). As an Aviation Electrician’s Mate, he was assigned duties to perform maintenance on the squadron’s A-7E Corsair II aircraft in support of cyclic flight operations. Aircraft were repaired, serviced and received armament loadouts for the next mission into North Vietnam. He was sent on temporary assignment to Da Nang, Vietnam, three times between December 1971 and June 1972 to repair aircraft that were damaged and unable to complete their missions back to the carrier. He grew up in Prosser and lives in West Richland. He is the son of Edward Letourneau.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ryan Letourneau grew up in Prosser. He is an aircraft environmental and electrical systems technician who has served assignments around the world, including in Germany, Croatia, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, New Mexico, South Korea and Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane. He is assigned to Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. His awards and commendations include the Air Force Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. He has worked on and repaired the A-10, HH-60G Pave Hawk, HC-130P/N Combat King, HC-130J Combat King II, MC-130P Combat Shadow, MC-130H Combat Talon II, MC-130J Commando II and the KC-135 Stratotanker. His parents, Bill and Verna Letourneau, live in West Richland.
STEVE OSBORNE
Steve Osborne enlisted in the Army Reserves in September 1969. He was commissioned as a 1st lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in 1977. In 1991, Steve deployed to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm and was stationed at King Khalid Military Center. He served at Fort Lewis from January 2003 to January 2004, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While at Fort Lewis, his unit provided legal briefings and wills to soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. He served for 37 years until retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2005. He lives in Kennewick and has been an attorney for 40 years.
ANDREW W. OSBORNE
Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Osborne graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1998 and was winged as a Naval Aviator in 2001. Drew selected the EA-6B Prowler as his aircraft and joined the Prowler community at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. He deployed to Saudi Arabia, flying the South NoFly Zone in Iraq and later deployed to Afghanistan for a tour there. He has been awarded two Air Medals for his combat tours. He is a Prowler instructor and hopes to transition to the F-18 Growler, the replacement for the Prowler, in 2014. He is also a pilot for Delta Air Lines. He is a native of Kennewick.
EDGAR HARGROW SR. (RIGHT)
CLINTON B. VARLEY
Chief Quartermaster Clinton Bud Varley served in the Navy aboard the USS Vega during World War II in the Aleutians and South Pacific. After the war, he joined the active reserves and retired after 20 years. He worked as a civil engineer in the TriCities for the state highway department until he retired.
Edgar Hargrow Sr., right, served in the Army as an infantryman in South Vietnam. He in the CO-E 1-505 Panther Platoon 3rd Battalion and the 82nd Airborne Ranger, where he was awarded a Bronze Star. He was honorably discharged in 1969 with 70 percent disability. He is a former Pasco city councilman and chairman of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. monument committee.
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VETERANS
TRI-CITY HERALD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
KEVIN J. WHITE
JOHN D. WHITE
Kevin White joined the Army in January 2010 at the age of 23 as E-3 Private First Class, after attending the University of Washington for two years, and working as a massage therapist. His military occupation specialty was 35F, Intelligence Analyst. He served in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, from December 2010 to July 2011. Kevin was promoted to E-4 Specialist and advanced to E-5 Sergeant. He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado Springs, Colo. He was honorably discharged in August 2013 and is attending the University of Colorado in Boulder. He was born in Richland and graduated from Southridge High School in 2005. His grandfather, John White, served in the Army in World War II.
ROBERT ‘BOB’ E. COMER
T-5 Cpl. John White served in the Army from February 1945 to December 1946. He was active in the Pacific Theater from October 1945 to February 1946. While in Yokohama, Japan, he became good friends with a local family named Onuki (pictured: John White and Noreo Onuki). He appreciated the friendship, ate several meals with the family, sailed with their son in Tokyo Bay, and bought two folding cameras from Noreo, who owned a camera shop. John also played his only golf ever: three nine-hole rounds on three different days on the Yokohama golf course. His grandson, Kevin White, served three years in the Army. John, 86, has lived in Kennewick since 1964, worked at the Hanford Generating Project, and retired from the Washington Public Power Supply System.
JOHN A. BUTTERFIELD
KARL THADDEAUS ANTHONY MORAVEK Lt. Col. Karl T.A. Moravek was born in 1925. He enlisted when he was 19 and became a waist gunner on a B-17. He also was an assistant navigator when he was needed. He served in World War II. It is only recently (he will be 89 in February) that he has opened up to tell the story of the sacrifices he and other brave Army Air Corps members paid for our country.
PERRY D. SKOGLUND
Cpl. John Bettinson served in the Army and was involved in Operation Castle, a hydrogen bomb test in the South Pacific in 1954. From 1955-65, he worked for General Electric at Hanford. In 1966, he established The Coin Cradle and Best Bett Cards and Comics and in 1997 he started Cookies by Design.
Spc. 4th Class Robert “Bob” Comer was drafted into the Army and served with the 1st Air Cavalry during Vietnam from 196869. He was awarded the Bronze and Purple hearts. He was born and raised in Pasco, is a graduate of Pasco High School and went to Columbia Basin College. He retired from the Bonneville Power Administration as a power systems electrician.
ERNEST COMER Ernest Comer was born in Kansas and was raised in Missouri. He was drafted into the Army and served from 1942-46 during World War II. He was a Technician 5th Grade and was in the Battle of Luzon and went to Japan after the atomic bombs were dropped. He received an Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal and Bronze Star. He was discharged in Washington because his parents, brothers and sisters had moved to the state.
JERRY FINNIGAN
Jerry Finnigan served as torpedoman first class in the Navy during World War II. A Richland resident for more than 40 years, he was an advocate for higher education and former dean at WSU Tri-Cities and a dedicated community service volunteer through the TCI Kiwanis and many other nonprofit organizations. Everyone who knew Jerry always uses three words to describe him: “A True Gentleman.”
Capt. John Butterfield is a retired 30-year Navy veteran. He graduated from the Naval Academy and went on to become a naval aviator who flew missions in Vietnam. This photo was taken just after a Light Attack mission in the OV-10 “Bronco” aircraft (seen in the background). John had just shifted from his flight suit to attire suitable for filling sand bags and helping fellow sailors make additional safety and security measures. Teamwork made for a great squadron and rapid response to help troops and Navy boats in trouble, which made their Vietnam experience worthwhile. He was named Richland Volunteer of the Year in 2011 and is active with VFW Post 3785 in Kennewick. He also was the speaker for the 2013 9/11 ceremony at the Southridge Memorial.
JOHN BETTINSON
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Sgt. Perry Skoglund served in the Army from 1968-71. He was with the 7th Armored Squadron, 1st Air Cavalry and served in Vinh Long, Vietnam, from Dec. 24, 1968Dec. 25, 1969.
JEFFREY PARKS Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Parks entered the Army in October 1982 and received an honorable discharge in November 1997. His overseas tours included Germany, Korea, Philippines, Turkey, Iraq, Honduras, Egypt and Israel. His stateside bases included Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Polk, La., and Fort Irwin, Calif. As a flight engineer on the UH-1H helicopters, his duties were door gunner, unit armorer and medevac. During his service, he received many awards and citations for exemplary service. He lives in Finley and works with BNSF Railroad in Pasco.
VETERANS
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DALE SAMS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 | TRI-CITY HERALD
SCOTTY KRUSCHKE
Dale Sams entered the Army in Walla Walla in May 1951. He was sent to Korea, where he spent six months in combat with the 32nd regiment, 7th division, receiving three Purple Hearts. The third one was a head wound, which sent him to hospitals in the states. In April 1953, he was released from active duty and transferred to the Army Reserves, where he served until his retirement after 21 years. He has lived in the TriCities for 48 years and said he has had a blessed life.
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ROBERT L. LOPER
MAX L. RATHJEN
E-4 Spc. Robert Loper served in the Army from 1962-64 with Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry. Originally trained as a medical corpsman, he served in Madigan Hospital at Fort Lewis. He later provided combat weapons training.
Cpl. Max Lee Rathjen served with the Army Air Corps during World War II in the China-Burma-India Theater, stringing communication cables through the jungles of Burma. He was a Richland resident from 1953 until his death in 1992. He worked as a courier for the Atomic Energy Commission.
Spc. Scotty Kruschke entered Army basic training at Camp Chaffee, Ark., in September 1953. He attended Artillery Weapons Mechanic School at Fort Sill, Okla., and was an anti-aircraft gun mechanic at “D” Battery, 518th Gun Battalion at Camp Hanford. He remained in the Tri-City area, married, raised a family of four, and retired from the U.S. Postal Service in Kennewick in March 1992.
LAWRENCE A. ANDERSON
SIDNEY CONNER
Staff Sgt. Lawrence Anderson served with the 8th Army Air Force 96th Bomb Group as a Ball Turret Gunner during World War II. He was born in Seattle on Aug. 11, 1923, worked 40 years at Boeing and retired in 1990. He lives with his daughter in Richland and attends Bethel Church.
Seaman Sidney Conner enlisted in the Navy in 1951, serving in the Korean War aboard the USS Gardiners Bay. He was honorably discharged in 1955, after four years of service as an aviation electronics technician. He retired in the Tri-Cities in 1995 after selling his pharmacy in Waitsburg.
JOEL ROBERTSON
Born and raised in West Richland, Sgt. Joel Robertson served two tours in the West Anbar Province of Iraq as a combat infantryman fire team leader in the 10th Mountain Division. During his Army service, he distinguished himself as a brave leader willing to repeatedly lead dangerous patrols into enemy territory. During the 28 months he served in constant combat, his unit suffered 108 soldiers killed and 750 wounded. He survived numerous close calls and is highly decorated.
TERRY THOMASON Terry Thomason served in the Marine Corps from 1967-71. After completing boot camp and going to school in Beaufort, S.C., he was sent to Vietnam. On April 1, 1968, he landed at Da Nang, then went on to Chu Lai, where he was stationed and served 13 months until 1969, when he came home. He then was stationed at Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle and later moved to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station when Sand Point closed. In 1971, he was honorably discharged, and returned to make his home in Kennewick, where he and his family still live.
From one Veteran to another, we honor you!
DAVID W. JACKSON
Michael M ichael D. D. Breier, B DMD, PC S Sean ean F F. Simper, S DDS Air Force Sgt. David Jackson served in Spain for eight years. He was born in Pasco and graduated from Pasco High School and Columbia Basin College. Sons David and twins Sergio and Alberto and granddaughter Neviah live in Pasco. His parents Ruth and Webster also live in Pasco. David died in October 2011.
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VETERANS
TRI-CITY HERALD | SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
WILLIAM J. ‘BILL’ HASKINS
ROY F. BALLARD
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ROY F. BALLARD JR.
Staff Sgt. Roy Ballard enlisted in the Army Air Corps on Aug. 26, 1941, and was a crew chief on the B-24, B-25, B-17 and B-29. He was discharged Nov. 27, 1945.
GREG BALLARD
Airman First Class Roy Ballard Jr. enlisted in the Air Force in September 1963 and served through September 1967. He served a year in Vietnam.
Greg Ballard enlisted in the Navy in May 1990 and is still on active duty, serving as an Electronics Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer on the USS Ronald Reagan. He has also served on the USS Flint, USS Duluth, USS Abraham Lincoln, and as a plank owner on the USS Lassen. He re-enlisted on the USS Missouri and USS Arizona Memorial.
ERNEST L. McDOWELL
CLIFFORD J. ERLANDSON
Staff Sgt. William “Bill” Haskins served in the Army from 1942-47. He enlisted at Fort Dix, N.J., and received his basic training in Indio, Calif. He completed his military service at Camp Hanford and Camp Columbia prison camp and was responsible for a Military Police detachment assigned to the Manhattan Project, receiving the American Theater, World War II Victory and Meritorious Service medals. He lived in Richland for 59 years. He died in February 2002.
RICHARD J. HIGHSTREET
Machinist’s Mate Petty Officer 2nd Class Clifford Erlandson enlisted in the Navy on Dec. 9, 1941, and served on the USS Manley and USS Bosque in the Atlantic and Pacific campaigns. He was discharged Dec. 12, 1946.
Machinist’s Mate Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernest McDowell enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served until 1945. He served on the USS Birmingham on campaigns including Sicily, Tarawa, Wake Island, Bougainville, the Marianas, the Philippines, Okinawa, Formosa and Iwo Jima. He received seven battle stars.
THOMAS MAX WHITNEY WELLMAN W. BIGLIN
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Richard Highstreet served in the Coast Guard from 1958-88. He served on board the Coast Guard Cutters Nettle (Philippines), Juniper (Florida), Woodbine (Michigan), Mackinaw (Michigan), Balsam (Alaska), Buckthorn (Michigan) and Polar Sea (Washington). His trips included the Antarctic and Arctic and the North and South poles. His shore duty included Alameda, Calif.; Sand Island, Hawaii; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cleveland, Ohio; Long Island, N.Y., and Kennewick, where he was commanding officer of the Coast Guard Station from 1981-85. He lives in Pasco.
Sgt. Thomas Max Whitney was born and raised in Richland and joined the Marines at the age of 17 on Jan. 12, 1966. After completing boot camp and turning 18, he was sent to Phu Bui, Vietnam, where he worked as an ammunition technician. During his 13 month tour, he went to various outposts, camps and bases. In that time, he came under fire countless times and lost fellow corpsmen, whom he still remembers to this day. Before his military release in 1970, he also served throughout Europe and Libya.
JOHN LEE O’BANION Army veterans, from left, Ralph Crowley, Sgt. John Lee O’Banion, Gene Hiler and James Unfonak with Steve Ramsey in front are pictured in Vietnam in July 1967, where they proudly fought side-byside. John Lee O’Banion was born in Pasco on Sept. 26, 1947, and died Oct. 24, 2002. He lived in Kennewick from 1983-89 and worked at Hanford.
LAWRENCE B. LAW
Aviation Ordnanceman Lawrence Law served in the Navy as a B-24 Liberator nose gunner. He spent World War II in the Pacific Theater, stationed at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was declared missing in action when his plane went down during a battle. He was rescued by Filipino guerrillas. He was awarded several medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, AsiaticPacific Campaign Medal and Philippine Liberation Ribbon. He married Marguerite Fortier on Feb. 26, 1945. They recently moved from California to Kennewick to be near their son and daughter-in-law, Jon and Pat Law.
Lance Cpl. Donnie Dean grew up in Richland and graduated in 1966 from Columbia High School. He entered the Marine Corps in April 1968. He arrived in Vietnam on Oct. 3, 1968, and was stationed southwest of Da Nang with Bravo Co. He was responsible for preventing rocket attacks on DaNang Air Base. His regular duties included day patrols, night patrols, night ambushes, bridge security and road sweeps for mines. He was wounded by sniper fire on Jan. 12, 1969. He shipped to Japan, then to Bremerton.
Maj. Wellman “Rusty” Biglin joined the Navy in 1943 at age 17. He served as a Gunners Mate first on a troop transport and then aboard the destroyer USS Dehaven in the Pacific. After the war, he bought property on Road 36 in Pasco, which is still in the family today. He rejoined the service, this time in the Army, where he received his officer’s commission. He finished his career at the rank of Major, stationed in the Florida Everglades, setting up defense missile sites during the Cuban Crisis in the 1960s. After retiring from the Army, he brought his family back to Pasco, where he worked another 16 years as a senior technician and supervisor at Hanford. He now spends his time making wood toys, which he gives away to organizations and charities — or any kid who happens to visit his toyshop.
JOHNNY K. GOWER Lt. Col. Johnny Gower graduated from Pasco High School in 1952. He attended Washington State then East Washington College and was selected for ROTC. He was commissioned in 1956 and was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he attended flight schools and fixed wings and helicopters. He served three years in Germany, then two years in Vietnam, starting in 1965, with First Air Cavalry Division. He received several air medals and the Bronze Star. He was selected for Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and was assigned there to the Combat Arms Development Group before retiring after 22 years of service. He moved back to Pasco and retired from Battelle Northwest. He died in 2012.
DONNIE R. DEAN
CHUCK LOLLIS SR.
CHUCK LOLLIS JR.
Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Chuck Lollis Sr. served in the Air Force. He flew PBY aircraft in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. He moved to the Tri-Cities in 1948, retired from Hanford in 1981 and died in 1992.
Chuck Lollis Jr. served in the Navy from 1964-68 and was a Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class. He has been a Tri-City resident since 1948 and retired from Hanford in 2009.
GEORGE RYZEK Lt. George Ryzek served in the Army Air Force during World War II. He was credited with shooting down a Japanese plane in combat. He is a graduate of Pasco High School.
H. DOUGLAS SELLAND
Builder Petty Officer 3rd Class H. Douglas Selland graduated from Kennewick High School in 1967. After graduation, he joined the Navy and served with the Seabees in Da Nang, Vietnam, in 1969.
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JOHN A. WESTLAND
John Westland was a Marine pilot in World War II. He spent more than a year in combat in the South Pacific flying missions from Pelelieu, Tinian, the Philippines and Okinawa.
VETERANS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 | TRI-CITY HERALD
IKE BREWER
JON HANDY (RIGHT) AND JAY HANDY
Ike Brewer was born in Washburn, Maine, and served in the Air Force from 1951-55. He transferred to Hanford in 1978 to manage project and construction activities until 1988. He retired from Westinghouse Hanford in 1995 and still lives in Benton County.
Jon Handy (right) and his younger brother Jay Handy served in the military during the Vietnam era. In 1964, the Army drafted Jon after graduating from the University of Maine with a bacteriology degree. He was a medic with a M.A.S.H. unit. Jay joined the Navy as a cryptographer on the USS Oxford, patrolling Vietnamese waters. Jon earned a master’s degree in health physics and worked at Hanford for 25 years. He was married to Fran and had two children, Jessica and Evan. He died in 2007. Jay worked for Ropes and Gray law firm in Boston and died in 2012.
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LYLE V. ANDERSON
Lyle Anderson, Spec. 2nd Class Medic with the Army’s 43rd M.A.S.H. unit, served in Korea in 1952. He has lived in Sunnyside and Pasco.
D. BERNE BARNARD
RAY S. BROCK
World War II veteran David Berne Barnard served in the Army, 540th Engineer Combat Group, from 1943-45. He served in the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign and the battle at Anzio, Italy, and in southern France and Berlin, Germany. He received his honorable discharge Nov. 19, 1945. He recently celebrated his 90th birthday with friends and family in Kennewick, where he and his wife, Dody, live.
Chief Petty Officer Ray Brock served in the Navy during World War II. He served in the South Pacific from 1943-46. He relocated to Burbank in 1960. He was an auctioneer active in 4H sales at the fair for 48 years. His joy was working with youth groups, riding clubs and charity auctions.
E. DEAN BURDETTE
Cpl. E. Dean Burdette served in the Marine Corps during World War II in the Pacific Theater, Saipan. His family said his memory will always live in their hearts.
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