A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018
LOCAL
Ceremony honors 38 veterans
who died in the past year
STAFF PHOTO BY JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
Kyle Homer put up a display of 50 white crosses at his Hermiston
home, to honor those he served with in Iraq who died in service.
Fifty crosses for
fallen comrades
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
Seven years after he left
Iraq, Kyle Homer found a way
to help others remember those
who didn’t make it home.
Homer
and
Jonathan
Wheeler put up a memorial in
Homer’s front yard that honors
50 of the men they served with
who died in Iraq. The small
white crosses are displayed in
a grid on the front lawn at the
home on the 800 block of East
Pine Avenue in Hermiston, and
each cross bears the name of a
Marine who died in action.
Homer said all the people
named in the memorial served
in 1st Battalion 3rd Marines.
Twenty-six of them died in a
helicopter in February 2005,
and the rest died in combat in
Fallujah.
“These are our brothers,”
said Wheeler, who lives in
Walla Walla. “I think about
these guys every day. Today is
just a good day to share their
stories with other people.”
He remembered the story
of one fellow Marine, Sgt.
Rafael Peralta, who was up
for the Medal of Honor, and
received the Navy Cross, which
is awarded for bravery in com-
bat. Homer recalled that Per-
alta dove on a grenade while
their battalion was clearing
out buildings in downtown
Fallujah.
Homer said he put the dis-
play up on Friday so it would
be visible all weekend. He said
many people have stopped by,
with a family driving down
from Walla Walla just to see the
display.
Homer said none of the
families of those named in the
memorial stopped by, as most
of them are scattered around
the country. He and Wheeler
don’t keep in touch with many
of the family members of those
in their battalion who died. But
the ones who survived, he said,
have an annual reunion.
Homer said he will take
the display down at the end
of Memorial Day, but because
of positive reactions from his
neighbors and others who saw
the display, he is thinking about
making it an annual project.
“It’s kind of quiet patrio-
tism,” he said. “I don’t want to
shove it down anybody’s throat,
but just honor the guys that
mean a lot to me.”
Wheeler served from 2001
to 2005, and Homer from 2003
to 2011. They were in the same
vehicle in Iraq at one point,
Wheeler said.
“This is just my way of
honoring them,” Homer said.
“If we don’t tell their stories,
nobody will.”
The Iraq war began in 2003
and ended in 2011. Close to
5,000 American soldiers were
estimated to have been killed,
as well as hundreds of thou-
sands of civilians.
Bryan Wolfe powers on with community service
HERMISTON HERALD
Bryan Wolfe was recently
recognized with the Northwest
Public Power Association’s top
honor for community service.
The Hermiston man, who is
a longtime member of the Uma-
tilla Electric Cooperative board
of directors, was honored with
the Paul J. Raver Community
Service Award. Wolfe received
the award May 22 at the NWP-
PA’s annual conference in Boise,
Idaho.
The award honors an individ-
ual or company who has demon-
strated superior leadership in the
betterment of cities, states or
regions.
It was first presented to Paul
J. Raver (posthumously) on
April 18, 1963. Raver was one
of the first leaders of Bonne-
ville Power Administration and
later served as superintendent of
Seattle City Light.
Wolfe, a rancher and farmer,
was cited for championing his
city, state and region through
40-plus years of volunteer ser-
vice. In the public power indus-
try, Wolfe has served on local
(UEC), state (Oregon Rural
Electric Cooperative Associ-
ation) and national (National
Rural Electric Cooperative)
boards of directors.
Three Oregon governors, in
three separate decades, have
recognized Wolfe’s leadership
by appointing him to the Oregon
Energy Facility Siting Council,
the Hanford Cleanup Board and
the Oregon Board of Forestry.
STAFF PHOTOS BY JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
Members of the U.S. Army Honor Guard during the Memorial Day service at Hermiston Cemetery.
Members of the VFW and American Legion stand as they
salute the flag during the Memorial Day Ceremony at
Hermiston Cemetery.
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
Memorial Day ceremonies in
Hermiston and Pendleton took
a moment Monday to remember
casualties of war and the more
recent passing of veterans who
served their country.
Hermiston’s ceremony, hosted
by VFW Post 4750, stuck to tradi-
tion, with Commander Ron Jardine
reading out the names of 38 Uma-
tilla County veterans who had died
in the past year.
About 100 gathered at the
gravesite for the brief ceremony,
which honored veterans from all
branches of the military.
Chaplain Tom Reamer also gave
a short speech about what veterans
mean to the United States.
“Veterans write a blank check to
the United States of America, of an
amount up to, and including, their
His alma mater, Oregon State
University, named him to its
Agricultural Hall of Fame. Most
tellingly, the people who know
him best — his friends, neigh-
bors and colleagues — honored
Wolfe as Hermiston’s Man of
the Year in 1999.
NWPPA is an international
association representing and
serving about 150 custom-
er-owned, locally controlled
utilities in the western United
States and Canada.
The association also serves
approximately 300 associate
members across the nation and
Canada who are allied with the
electric utility industry.
For more information, con-
tact Steve Meyers, UEC mem-
ber services administrator, at
541 289-1344 or steve.mey-
ers@umatillaelectric.com.
life,” he said.
Reamer also highlighted a tradi-
tion for many veterans — placing
coins on gravestones.
A penny means that someone
visited the deceased. A veteran
who trained with the deceased at
boot camp can place a nickel on the
grave. A dime means the veteran
and the deceased served together.
“And a quarter,” he said. “Means
the veteran was with the deceased
when they were killed.”
Jardine noted that June Spear-
man, a gold star mother, was at the
grave that day. Spearman’s son,
Staff Sgt. Gordon Keith Spear-
man Jr., was in the Army and died
on March 10, 1971 in Vietnam. He
was 24 and on his second combat
tour in Vietnam when he was killed
by small arms fire in the Binh Dinh
province.
Across Umatilla County, VFW
Post 922 held a similar ceremony
at Pendleton’s Olney Cemetery,
seeking respite from the late morn-
ing sun by conducting most of the
proceedings under the shade of
some trees.
Among a series of short speeches
and prayers, pastor Chris Clemons
said monuments have acted as a
way to pass on stories and legacies
since ancient times.
Gravesites are no different,
Clemons said, especially those
belonging to veterans.
“The story of stone,” as Clem-
ons referred to it, was told through-
out Olney Cemetery.
On Memorial Day, American
flags were placed on each head-
stone where a veteran was interned,
spanning World War I, World
War II, Korea, Vietnam and other
conflicts.
———
Antonio Sierra contributed to
this story.
church’s “adopted school,” has
served as a police officer in Stan-
field and Pendleton. In addition, he
was deployed twice to Iraq with the
Oregon National Guard. Johnson is
currently an instructor contracted
by the National Guard to train staff
officers in military intelligence
decision making.
Johnson and his wife, Sarah, live
in Umatilla with their dog, Bella.
He is taking seminary classes at
Liberty University. At Hermiston
Nazarene, he will serve as director
of Life Groups with some teaching
and preaching.
Hermiston Church of the Naza-
rene is located at 1520 W. Orchard
Ave. For more information, con-
tact 541-567-3677, hermistonnaz@
gmail.com or visit www.hermiston-
nazarene.org.
In addition, a bouncy house will
be available for kids and represen-
tatives from PAWS will be on hand
for a pet adoption event.
For more information, contact
Maria Duron at 541-667-6036 or
maria.duron@hermistonsd.org.
BRIEFS
Benefit event to help HHS
sophomore
Bryan Wolfe
Families and friends gather at the Hermiston Cemetery
to honor those who died in service on Memorial Day.
For more photos of the event, see A15.
People have a chance to win
some great items as well as helping
a local family in need.
Jasmine Ellwood, daughter of
Hermiston police officer Mike Ell-
wood, was recently diagnosed
with Ewing sarcoma. Money is
being raised to help the family with
expenses related to her cancer treat-
ments. Jasmine is a sophomore at
Hermiston High School.
The benefit dinner and auction
is Saturday, June 2 from 5-9 p.m.
in the commons at Hermiston High
School, 600 S. First St. The silent
auction ends at 6:45 p.m. and the
live auction starts at 7:30 p.m. The
cost is $15 per person or $40 for a
family of four (with an additional
$5 per child).
Items up for bid include an a
walleye fishing trip courtesy of
Angling Oregon, a 2-night stay for
two with several rounds of golf at
Silvies Ranch, a hunting rifle, jew-
elry and more. Also, there will be a
raffle for a Yeti Cooler.
In addition, people can donate
through
www.gofundme.com/
ellwood-medical-fund.
Aaron Johnson to intern at
Hermiston Nazarene
A new ministry intern was intro-
duced May 27 at Hermiston Church
of the Nazarene.
Aaron Johnson, who attended
West Park Elementary School, the
HHS volleyball team digs
upcoming fundraiser
The Hermiston High School
volleyball team will cruise with a
promotion sponsored by the Ford
Motor Company.
The fundraising event invites
qualified drivers to take a short test
drive. Ford will donate $20 — up
to $6,000 in total — that will go
to help support the HHS volleyball
team.
Drive 4 UR School is Satur-
day, June 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
in the parking lot at Hermiston High
School, 600 S. First St. Also, vol-
unteers from HHS will provide free
drinks and hot dogs for everyone
who takes a test drive.
Volunteers needed to help
drive CareVan program
People looking to give back to
the community are invited to volun-
teer with the CareVan.
A medical transportation service
operated through Good Shepherd
Health Care System, the program
is especially in need of volunteer
drivers.
People who enjoy meeting new
people and making a difference are
encouraged to contact Cindy Schaan
at 541-667-3690 or cschaan@
gshealth.org.
Presbyterian church hosts
secondhand sale
People can shop for a variety of
items, including clothing, toys, puz-
zles and lots of treasures to be found
at the white elephant table.
The annual Second Hand Sale is
Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June
2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Uma-
tilla Presbyterian Church, 14 Martin
Drive, Umatilla.
The event is organized by the
Women’s Association of the Uma-
tilla Presbyterian Church.
For more information, call
541-922-3250.