Our Place in Walla Walla #7: Veterans

Our place honors our veterans.

Nearly 10% of our county’s residents have served our nation in armed conflict. This community has seen many of its young people step into roles that protect our nation and uphold our liberties.

This past weekend, in conjunction with Saturday’s Veterans Day holiday, our community created several opportunities to recognize residents who have served in the military. Maybe you watched the parade in town or attended the library’s art-making event.

You might have gone to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) for the annual Veterans Day commemoration (Native Americans serve in the United States Armed Forces at five times the national average) Whether or not you are a veteran, you might have enjoyed free entrance to National Parks on Saturday to commemorate Veterans Day.

CTUIR member and National Parks Service Director Chuck Sams III recently said, “National parks are the living memory of our nation, the conscience of America, and many of them have direct relevance to the U.S. military and the sacrifices of those who served … Visits to national parks while I was a young sailor in the Navy were incredibly meaningful and formative. Seeing treasured natural and cultural landmarks firsthand connected me to our country’s shared history and provided inspiration to serve and defend.”

If you’ve walked into town in the last few weeks you may have looked up and seen banners hanging from some of the light posts with pictures of local residents who have served in the armed forces. Nearly 50 different Walla Wallans are depicted through the Hometown Heroes banner program coordinated by the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation (DWWF). If you’ve looked up, you’ve noticed pictures of individuals with connections to this community who have participated in the military during the last 70 years.

I asked the Executive Director of the DWWF, Kathryn Witherington, a long-time partner of Whitman College, about the flags. She said that this project started during the pandemic when we weren’t able to have parades and the community wanted to recognize veterans. Cindy Frost, one of the DWWF staff, had seen this project in another community and led the effort to bring it here.

Kathryn wants to keep working on who is celebrated. While any vet who has ties to Walla Walla can be featured, Kathryn noted that it’s primarily older folks and white men portrayed despite national statistics that show that people of color have a higher per/capita presence in the military. “I think there’s a piece we’re missing on this that I want to work on,” Kathryn reflected, inviting people from all across the community to consider being honored. She pointed out that the Downtown Foundation has established a fund to pay for banners if families are unable to afford the cost.

Many resources exist in our community for veterans. Walla Walla is home of the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center, a large regional health care facility for veterans living in eastern Washington and Oregon and western Idaho. Local organizations provide support and services to veterans, including the Walla Walla County government, Blue Mountain Action Council’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program and many others.

Walla Walla veterans enjoy a high level of respect. Last year the #2 person in the national Veterans Administration visited from Washington, D.C. to hear what’s on folk’s minds. Several years ago US Senator Patty Murray helped attract funding for more housing at the VA here and came to Walla Walla for the ribbon cutting ceremony. US Senator Maria Cantwell has also been an advocate for ensuring adequate housing for veterans and other local residents.

Bob Carson, Whitman’s Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies Emeritus, had ancestors, his father and brothers, and six in-laws who served in the military during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War II or the Vietnam War. Bob was in the Marine Corps and Navy reserves, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. He emphasized that Walla Walla is a place that respects service to our country and encouraged students to visit sites such as the monument at Fort Walla Walla, the monument to the Spanish American War downtown near campus, and the cannons at Fort Walla Walla.

On Whitman’s campus, Memorial Hall has plaques honoring the men who died In World War I and the men and women who died in World War II. According to Wikipedia, “During World War II, Whitman was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission” and there is a sign in the entrance to Memorial recognizing this support.

It’s probably not surprising that in a town with a high level of dedication to veterans, Whitman College has seen many graduates head toward national service after graduation. According to the wonderful team in the Alumni Office, the Whitman alumni community includes approximately 350 veterans, ranging from the Class of 1944 to the Class of 2021. One of Whitman’s most famous alumni, Adam West ’51, served in the Army in the 1950s, developing his voice and stage presence which ultimately served him in his long career as an actor, including roles as Batman in the iconic TV series.

Jason P. Smith ’97, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired), USMC, said “Whitman gave me the tools to be an effective public servant. There are many paths people can take to achieve this and I chose the Marine Corps. In my 20 years of military service, I was successful because of my ability to think critically in some of the most challenging and complex environments, which I would argue started with my first-year Core class.”

Last week I spoke with Owen Unbehaun, who was a first year student during the 2000-2001 school year and then transitioned several times between classes at Whitman College and serving in the Air Force, including several years of active duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, ultimately graduating in 2013 as a Geology major. Owen shared that his time in the military provided insights that overlapped with some of his knowledge gained as a student. “My career’s been a lot of working in that shades of gray area. But, even that’s not enough—I’m really interested in the question of ‘do we think beyond the black and white?’ That’s where we want to work.”

Reflecting on what he’s learned from his military service that could be helpful to current students, Owen told me, “there’s more out there than you’d expect. Looking back, I wish I had considered even more options. There are so many opportunities out there to be explored, that I never thought of, and that you may not have thought of.”

In closing, it’s good to hear from Gabby McGann ’17. Gabby is a commissioned officer in the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps), which is one of the eight uniformed services (includes the six traditional armed forces, US Public Health Service, and NOAA Corps). Gabby shared: “A big reason I applied to the NOAA Corps was because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after graduation. Joining gave me a lot of great life experiences, new skills, lifelong friends and forced a lot of personal growth (in a good way). Sometimes thinking of the military can be intimidating because I felt like you’d have to put in 20+ years if you join, but I am in the process of separating and currently applying to law school! Serving helped me think through what I would like to do in the future and I’m not sure I would have taken the same current steps if I hadn’t joined.”

Maybe sometime in the future we will see Whitties like Gabby, Jason, Owen, Professor Carson and others on a Hometown Hero banner downtown.