Veterans Honored At Green River College
Standing: Andy Herron, Bob Witman, Bill Humphries, Mal Bailey, Bill Nelson, Gordie Hefford, Ed Miller, Harry Keiffer. Kneeling: Will Gerring, Doc Huff, Dr. Ralph Reed, Ken Hoben
Wesley Homes veterans were honored on June 3, 2010 at the Second Annual GRCC Veteran Coin Ceremony at Green River College.
The ceremony was presided over by Deb Casey for Veterans Council Recognition and included presentations by faculty members and veterans Carsh Wilturner, Marianne Jacobs, and honored speaker and veteran Pete Lewis, Mayor of Auburn.
Each resident was presented with a “challenge coin” in the tradition of the highly coveted military coins worn by military personnel to signify pride, honor, achievement, unity and espirt de corps.
Dr. Ralph Reed holds the "Challenge Coin"
The tradition of the challenge coin began in World War I, when a downed U.S. Army Air Service pilot escaping capture by the enemy used the coin bearing his squadron’s insignia to identify himself as an American when crossing back over into US occupied territory.
“It was a very nice program,” said resident Ken Hoben, “I thought it was very impressive, very complementary, and very generous. The coordinating council did a great job and the speakers had some interesting stories. I had no idea they were going to do anything like that.”
Eye Witnesses to History
Several Wesley Homes residents served on the front lines and witnessed history in the making.
“I was there on the second day that Americans went into Hiroshima, about a month after the bomb was dropped,” said Dr. Ralph Reed who served on a 214 ft. armed fleet tug boat, “After we went in, the Army declared it off limits. I’m writing a book and the pictures I took that day will be in there.”
Dr. Reed also witnessed the famous flag raising on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima. “Our tug took a landing craft up to the beach where we stayed with it until the next high tide,” he said, “from there I saw that flag go up.”
Bill Nelson served as a torpedoman in the Navy. Four weeks after the war ended he was reassigned to shore patrol on Okinawa. There he saw the after effects of the battle site where so many Japanese either committed suicide by jumping off the cliff or died in the trenches.
Cyril VanSelus, served with the 99th infantry division in WWII, in a battalion aid station on the front lines picking up the sick and the wounded and getting them to the rear for medical equipment. VanSelus wrote his memoirs of the Normandy Invasion for family and friends.
“The invasion was in June in July and I got there in October and was there in the front lines for the rest of war,” said VanSelus.
Doc Huff served as a third-class quartermaster (QM3c) in the Navy Reserve. “After they dropped the bomb and the war ended we went into Japan as part of the occupation. Our ship went over to Shanghai China to pick up Japanese prisoners and bring them back to Japan to be repatriated. Then we took the Chinese nationalist troops back to Manchuria,” said Huff, “we did two trips like that.
Serving Stateside
Ed Miller was a pilot and flying instructor in the regular Air Force. “I was drafted when I was 19, and for five years I was an instructor at a training command in the middle of Arkansas. I trained the twin-engine advanced courses for pilots – teaching them how to fly at nights and in formation.”
At least three of the Wesley Homes residents who served their country proudly were not present for the photograph. They are Ed Pawlowski, Edward Miller and Cyril VanSelus.
–ilene little for Wesley Homes
