Clark College inks Knight for three more years
New contract adds three vacation days, no pay raise
Clark College President Bob Knight, former commander of the U.S. Army’s Vancouver Barracks, has earned another three years at his current post. Last week, Clark’s board of trustees voted to extend Knight’s original three-year contract through August 2013.
Off beat: On Officers Row, an enlisted man was her Prince Charming
When we recently asked readers to share their Vancouver Barracks memories, we didn’t expect a Cinderella story. But that was how Louise Van Brocklin described her stint working as a maid on Officers Row in 1937 and 1939.
Off Beat: Tribe gathers, embraces its own, tells its stories in its own language
A few days ago, Jere Van Dyk returned to his tribal region. The 1964 Hudson’s Bay grad got a warm welcome during a national tour promoting “Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban.”
Scenes of wars gone by return to fort
Visitors get a vivid picture of U.S. troops through the years
With the cry of “Fire!” six Civil War soldiers’ muskets roared to life and enveloped them in a cloud of smoke. Cheers greeted the exhibition at the Fort Vancouver National Site, punctuated by a 3-year-old boy’s shouting, “That was awesome.”
Barracks tours march along with fort festival
The 160th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Army post in Vancouver will be commemorated this weekend with events that include tours of the Vancouver Barracks site. While living history events will continue to be part of the annual Soldiers’ Bivouac, officials at the Fort Vancouver National Site have added tours of Vancouver Barracks to the Saturday and Sunday schedules.
Series sheds light on life at Vancouver Barracks
Free ‘Evening on the Row’ features re-enactors
Friday’s “Evening on the Row” event will be part of a weekly look at life at Vancouver Barracks, offered by costumed interpreters. The free programs will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Officers Row at the Fort Vancouver National Site, through Sept. 10.
Off Beat: Vancouver men both played role in WWII bombing mission
Edwin Dallman’s photo is on page A3 of The Columbian this morning, showing the Navy veteran getting a haircut at the Vancouver Barracks barber shop. On May 31, this space told about a World War II military milestone that featured Vancouver aviator Wayne Bissell, who was part of the Doolittle Raid that bombed Japan in 1942.
A look at Vancouver Barracks' history
The Army Reserve and Washington National Guard occupy 27 buildings in the East and South Barracks. Vancouver Barracks hosts a family resource center for identification cards and family support, a post exchange, and a beauty and barber shop. 1825: Hudson’s Bay Co. builds Fort Vancouver near the Columbia River, laying the foundation for future Vancouver Barracks.
Rediscovering Vancouver Barracks
For more than 160 years, Fort Vancouver has been built around the presence of the U.S. Army. But over the next 14 months, members of the National Park Service and the Fort Vancouver National Trust will be working to build a new future for the 366-acre landmark — one without the constant sight of men and women in fatigues and hundreds of Reserve soldiers doing drills on the grounds.
Future of East, South Barracks still in planning stages
Each stair in this U.S. Army Reserve administration building on the Fort Vancouver National Site carries a message for a boot-clad foot — and the soldier attached to it. Left foot: “I will never accept defeat.” Right foot: “I will never quit.” Left foot: “I will never leave a fallen comrade.” Up it goes to the top.
Effort afoot to spare PX from closure
Opened on Nov. 29, 1880, the Vancouver Barracks Post Exchange Shoppette was the first store of its kind — a haven for servicemen and veterans to shop at deeply discounted prices. Yet the original shop that served as the prototype for the thousands of post exchanges that now exist worldwide may disappear.
Troops in Vancouver Barracks: Where are they headed?
Vancouver Barracks is home to about 850 Army Reservists. By summer 2011, plans call for all soldiers to be out of the barracks. Their missions include training potential soldiers through summer programs; supporting ROTC summer programs; providing drill sergeants for Army Basic Training; training prospective drill sergeants; and training medical professionals for wartime and peacetime duty. The tents you see near Fifth Street are for the medical professionals to train in a field-like environment.
Will success breed success in West Barracks?
They’re just across the street from one another, but the Post Hospital and the Red Cross building in the West Barracks are in two different worlds. One could be ready for a ghost movie, with broken windows boarded over and official “U.S. Property No Trespassing” signs posted. The other has been lovingly restored, with dozens of culinary and hospitality students streaming in and out daily. Weddings and other celebrations are regular events.
Vancouver barracks military
The active military has been gone from the Fort Vancouver National Site for 10 years. Today, just a handful of Reserve and National Guard units remain. They are soon to be gone too.
What future awaits Artillery Barracks?
Looking at the charred spots left on the walls and the ceilings, National Park Service Archaeologist Bob Cromwell tilted his head up and said, “We’re lucky this building is still here.” The massive artillery Barracks, built in 1904 to house two full artillery companies on the Fort Vancouver National Site caught fire sometime in the 1930s, the historian said.
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Remembering meeting her husband |
Her dad remembers Gen. Marshall |
She met troops as a telephone operator | By Patty Frimberger
The view in 1938 | By Shirlee Evans
She was a civilian driver for the Army | By Eleanor L. Pearson
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Credits
Vancouver Barracks project team: Marsha Matta, Andrea Damewood, Tom Vogt, Steven Lane, Troy Wayrynen, Zachary Kaufman, Mark Bowder, Adam Coddington, Jeff Bunch, Robert Holcomb and Dave Kern