Around 60 people, including members of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, local veterans and their friends and families, attended the Veterans Day ceremony held by the Veterans Wall of Honor at Kemp Olson Memorial Park in Toledo on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
The ceremony began with a blessing from Cowlitz Tribal Councilor Patty Kinswa-Gaiser as a new brick was added to the Veterans Wall of Honor dedicated to “all Cowlitz warriors.”
“We’ve had a lot of people come before us that gave everything. Some came back, some did not. Some came back broken,” Kinswa-Gaiser said. “We ask blessings for them, because we all know what the suicide rate is for veterans, and we’d like to try to heal that. We have many coming before us that are not yet born, that will do the same work you guys have done — all of you that are here that are veterans, we honor you. And the tribe blesses you, and says ‘We welcome you.’”
She added her own family has both deep connections to the area having been raised near Toledo along the Cowlitz River, and both of her uncles who lived near there also served in the U.S. military during World War II.
“They’re on the other side now, so we still remember them when we bless (veterans). So blessings to all veterans here today and worldwide, thank you,” said Kinswa-Gaiser.
During the ceremony, Cowlitz Tribal members also performed a pair of blessing songs with drums — the “Paddle Prayer Song” by Cowlitz Tribal member Jeremiah Ray Wallace and “The Warrior’s Yell” by Guy Capoeman of the Quinault Indian Nation.
Along with local veterans, the wall also honors U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Melvin Arnold Holland, who was born and raised in Toledo. After graduating from Toledo High School, Holland joined the Air Force as a radio technician in 1954, but was officially listed as missing in action (MIA) after a radar base in Laos he was stationed at was overrun by Vietcong forces on March 11, 1968.
Holland’s family never got confirmation on whether he was taken prisoner, and no body was ever found, so he remains classified as MIA to this day. Some of Holland’s family members were in attendance during Tuesday’s ceremony and said while the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has told them remains have recently been recovered in the area where Holland was lost, they have not gotten word yet on whether DNA testing has ID’d any of the remains as Holland’s.
Also a speaker during the ceremony was Lewis County’s own retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dave Anderson, who served as a helicopter instructor pilot and “master aviator,” and now runs the YouTube channel Helicool’s Helipad, where he posts instructional videos on a wide range of topics from using surplus military gear to outdoorsmanship.
Anderson hails from Winlock, is a Winlock High School graduate and also volunteers at the Lewis County Gospel Mission. He spoke as to what he believed the real reason for Veterans Day was.
“Why is this important? It’s important because we have all of them over there, watching and learning. And hopefully, we are inspiring the next generation with what we’re doing here. For me anyway, it’s more about the inspiration than it is the pat on the back,” Anderson said. “I’m doing this because I want to inspire those that are coming after us.”
He also encouraged veterans attending to share some of the darker stories from their time in service they may have buried, in order to help other veterans who may be battling the same demons.
“You are here as a testament that says that you did get through it. So come alongside those people, tell them your innermost stories, and that is going to make them feel like they are not alone,” Anderson added. “I know it’s going to be tough, but tell those stories.”
He also reminded those in attendance that the easiest way to help veterans in need was to find them in places they sadly end up in, like the Lewis County Gospel Mission.
“When the Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Why are you hanging around with tax collectors and sinners?’ And he said, ‘A doctor does not go where everybody is well. They go where people are sick.’ So people that need you, if you want to see a miracle, go to places where they are in desperate need,” said Anderson. “I recommend — this is a shameless plug and I don’t care — the Lewis County Gospel Mission as a good place to start volunteering. Even if you don’t want to volunteer there … you can (just) sit down and you can start talking to people. A lot of times, you won’t even know that you’re standing next to a veteran. And you can just talk to them, because a lot of these folks, no one talks to them. They might be a little bit smelly and they might be a little bit dirty, but that’s just the way it is. If you’re going to see a miracle, that’s the place to find it.”
The Lewis County Gospel Mission is located at 72 SW Chehalis Ave.
Originally built in 2012 by the Toledo Lions Club in efforts led by Bob Schmid, those who know local veterans and want them added to the Veterans Wall of Honor at Kemp Olson Memorial Park can still do so, as new bricks are added each year prior to Veterans Day and Independence Day.
Currently, over 400 bricks adorn the wall.
For more information on how to get a brick dedicated, email the Toledo Lions Club at secretary@toledolionsclub.org or visit the club’s website at https://toledolionsclub.org/projects/veterans-wall/.
