Vancouver ceremony salutes Pearl Harbor survivors
Veterans recall where they were on ‘day that will live in infamy’
Rich Hatton was headed to breakfast aboard the USS Worden when he saw all the fancy flying going on in the sky over Pearl Harbor. As Hatton saw planes swoop and dive and skim the water, “I couldn’t imagine what our Air Force was doing,” he said.
Vancouver man was aboard USS California during Pearl Harbor attack
When America went to war 69 years ago, John Leach fought the opening battle in his underwear. Leach was aboard the USS California when Japanese warplanes targeted Pearl Harbor’s “Battleship Row” on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.
Survivors of Pearl Harbor to gather
Commemoration to be held inside at Vancouver Barracks
Sixty-nine years ago, they were young sailors, soldiers and Marines enjoying a weekend morning in a Hawaiian paradise. The next moment, they were fighting for their lives as that paradise exploded all around them — and in some cases, blew up under their feet.
Code Talker to deliver Veterans Day message
Navajo who served in WWII to speak at local ceremony
David Patterson, who turned his native Navajo tongue into a secret weapon during World War II, will be the guest speaker Thursday at Vancouver’s Veterans Day observance. Patterson was one of about 400 Navajos who joined the U.S. Marines and were used as communication specialists in the war in the Pacific.
Off Beat: Helping kids with homework boosts couple’s citizenship bid
The journey to citizenship was a family project for some newly minted Americans. When the National Park Service teamed up with immigration authorities earlier this month for their first naturalization ceremony in Vancouver, some husband-and-wife pairs and at least one father-son combination raised their right hands together to take the oath of allegiance.
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.
Remembering driving in the barracks | By Bruce Mickelson
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
more memories
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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
