Flags mark Memorial Day service

DAVENPORT - Flags marked the graves of local veterans Monday, May 25, as residents gathered at Mountain View Cemetery to remember those who died in military service during the community's annual Memorial Day observance.

The program featured a welcome and pledge by Tony Hein, an invocation and Memorial Day address by Pastor Tyler Gubsch.

Hein also read letters from veterans and offered a prayer.

Marsha Hendrickson placed the ceremonial wreath and Veteran Honor Guard - Jim Golden, Brian O'Neill and John Stiles - offered a salute.

Taps was performed by Rob Harper and Blake Gants, and Gubsch gave the benediction.

John Stiles, 79, of Los Angeles, a Lincoln County Historical Society representative and Lions Club member who also participated in the honor guard.

"Honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and not let the memory of that sacrifice disappear," Stiles said.

The historical society took over the event after the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post disbanded because of declining participation, with remaining members joining a post in Airway Heights, he said.

Stiles noted that while Spokane and Seattle see larger turnouts, Lincoln County continues to send many young people into military service.

"Attendance is getting aged out," Stiles said. "I really think that young people need to be more introduced to patriotism."

Flags on graves

Rod Pankey, 71, of Davenport, described how volunteers placed the flags on veterans' graves.

"The way we do it is we have the Lions Club members come out to put up the poles for the flags," Pankey said. "They're stored in the building here at the cemetery.

"So, we get Lions Club guys to come out. We put the poles up, and then the next day, we get high school students to come out and hang the flags on the poles."

Students later remove the flags, fold them properly and store them with help from the Lions Club, he said.

The tradition holds special meaning because of the student involvement.

"I think it means a lot, especially, we love to see the high school students involved, and they enjoy coming out and being part of the process," Pankey said. "We've never, never seen it where they are poor or unhappy with doing that. They are very willing to work and always do a great job."

He added that students often spot a relative's name on a pole.

"It's always fun when the high school students say, 'Oh, that's my grandpa,'" Pankey said. "They see his name. And so that's always good."

Honored veterans

Davenport – Flags were placed on the graves of the following veterans whose service was remembered on Memorial Day. The complete list, drawn from the program, includes:

Civil War

Isaac Newton Railey, William Tucker and Julius D. Woodin.

Spanish American War

William M. Nevins.

World War I

William R. Badgley, John B. Bell, Charles S. Brown, Clinton S. Brown, Lemuel A. Buchanan, William D. Buck, Ralph W. Elliott, Herbert A. Gauger, Charles C. Gibson, Emil Grutt, Henry F. Guhlke, William E. F. Guhlke, Harold W. Haynie, Carl G. Horn, Edgar Huffman, Ernest B. Hutsell, William S. Kirkwood, James L. Lennon, Charles F. Linstrum, Muriel McKee, Henry D. Mead, Jason M. "Mack" Mead, Berthold A. Moeller, Guy A. Munson, Carl P. Olson, David J. Owens, David Frank Pankey, Tracy Dean Phinney, John Reichman, Simon Reinbold, Cleo W. Richards, Paul Rinker, Herbert Rohlman, Rudolph Scharff, Adolph Spilker, Ray R. Spining, Charles Llewellyn Stubbs, Harvey Thompson, William G. Wolfrum and John Henry Zuehlke.

World War II

Dale Abbott, Walter Leonard Abbott, Byrl Adair, Earl Adair, Kenneth W. Anderson, R. Lloyd Anderson, Howard Beebe, Norman Bircher, George Arnold Black, P. J. "Duke" Blanchard, Robert Bliss, Everett Boleneus, Charles R. Boothe, Marvin H. Brown, Thomas H. Brown, Donald T. Buchser, Richard W. "Dick" Buck, Carl C. Bushue, Frank Campbell, George Carpy, Merton Cattanach, Galien "Chris" Christman, Clarence Coley, Romeo Couture, Joe Darling, Ernie Drefs, Paul Duncan, Rowena Ehlenfeldt, Eugene "Bud" Etter, Glenn Sill Etter, Kenneth E. Fisher, Perry Frazier, Heman Frohnhafer, Jim M. Gale, Wayne E. Geissler, Gerald Grunerud, Jack Gunning, Robert Gunning, Richard Hardin, William F. Hardin, John C. Harris, Oswald Heid, Donald E. Hein, Robert Henderson, Maynard O. Hernas, Walter S. Hopkins, Joseph M. Huck, Elmer Hutchens, Joe B. Hutsell, Lawrence O. Jahn, Clarence Johnson, Dean Johnson, Lumarian "Luby" Jurgensen, Donald Kassner, Harold F. Kempken, Robert Kirkwood, Marvin Koegler, Frank J. Krones, Virgil Landfried, Robert Lennon, Vernon Lowary, Wilbur "Bill" Luck, Elroy Luiten, Harvey Luiten, Orlen "Poke" Luiten, Theodore "Ted" Lyse, James B. Maclin, Ludwig Mayewski, Edward C. McCaffery, James Leo McCaffery, Robert D. Mead, E. L. Mecklenburg, Harold A. Michaelsen, Claude Millard, Clifford O. Moe, Francis Morrison, James Hugh Morrison, Harold Moser, Lester H. Moss, Albin Motycka, Darius Mounger, Margaret Nelson, Norman Nelson, Louis Neuman, Clifford E. Oligher, Donald Owens, Fred W. Paeper, Roy Paul, Jerry Pooley, Lee Randall, John C. Raymer Jr., Robert Reagan, Edward Remillong, Clifford E. Robertson, Herbert W. Rohlman, Ray Rohlman, Rey Sandygren, Vernon H. Sautter, Ernest Schillinger, Harry Schmauch, Herman C. Schreib, Howard Glen Schultz, Ruby C. Scott, Robert Seifhard, Charles E. Silvernail, Eugene Simpson, Charles Spilker, George Spilker, Robert J. Spilker, Howard Stormo, Glen Strate, Leonard Stubbs, Mario Sylvia, William B. Thode, Arnold A. Thompson, Robert Thorp, Otto Van Buren, George Wesley, Henry Wesley, Bill Weston, James Wilke, John Frederick Wilke, Walter C. Wolfrum, Bill Wuesthoff and one unknown veteran.

Korean Conflict

Donald C. Brown, Kenneth Buck, Edwin D. "Pat" Carpenter, Laurence Ensor, Charles L. Evans, Wayne E. Geissler*, Gary Henderson, Edward L. Hollis*, Ervin O. Hood, Joe B. Hutsell*, Frank J. Krones*, Wilbur "Bill" Luck*, William "Bill" McCaffery, John McDonald, Jerald Robison, Jean Sanguinet, Cecil Telecky, Arnold A. Thompson*, Ronald "Ron" Wilkie and Howard Lloyd Wolfrum.

Vietnam War

Wayne E. Badgley, George Ricky Lee Basler, Timothy Terry Basler, David E. Casper, Everett Cole, Ronald Dean Coleman, Leonard Geissler, James C. Haynie, Robert Haynie, Jeffrey L. Holt, Michael W. Krueger, Leland James, Patrick G. Maloney, Gary James Morrison, Randy Riddle, Elmer W. Smith, Gerald F. "Gerry" Stiles, Don W. Stone, Wendell Wilke and Rodney Willey.

*An asterisk means the soldier served in more than one war.