Above: A Memorial Day ceremony was
held in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday. The event was open to the public. From
left to right, at the podium, is William Doucette III, chair of the Thurston
County Veterans Council, Major General Mark Stammer, DCG, I Corps, City of
Tumwater Mayor Pete Kmet, City of Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder, and City of Olympia
Mayor Cheryl Selby.
By
Janine Gates
Little Hollywood
Memorial Day is a day to remember those who paid the
ultimate sacrifice during times of war or conflict.
At a ceremony Monday sponsored by the Thurston
County Veterans Council in the Capitol Rotunda, those who served in each
military branch were acknowledged, stories were told, and tears were shed.
City of Tumwater Mayor Pete Kmet presented a
poignant story about his father, Michael, who was stationed in
Australia and New Guinea during WWII.
Like most servicemen, Kmet said, his father said
little about his service history.
“On one of our early Saturday morning fishing trips,
I asked my dad if he had ever been in combat. He said that no, he hadn’t, but
had come close once when the Japanese attacked the base he was working on,”
said Kmet.
“The only reason the Japanese didn’t reach his
position was because a young private had almost single handedly stopped the
attack by staying at his machine gun post when everyone else had retreated. The
young man was only a teenager and had died during his effort and received the Medal
of Honor for his sacrifice,” the elder Kmet told his son.
Based on that little bit of information, Kmet decided
to do some research, and discovered that the young man was Nathan K. Van
Noy, Jr., nicknamed Junior, born in Grace, Idaho.
Seven months after he was drafted and entered the
service at age 18, Van Noy was wounded in action, but refused to
be evacuated. A few weeks later, in October 1943, Van Noy was stationed at his
post in New Guinea when the Allies were attacked.
Van Noy remained at his post, ignoring the calls of nearby soldiers urging him to withdraw, and continued to fire with deadly accuracy. He expended every round, and was found covered with wounds, dead, beside his gun.
Kmet said his father visited the site of the carnage after the attack.
“I could tell by the way he told me his brief story
that he held this young soldier in the highest regard. You know, my dad never
talked much about his service. Now I think I understand why just a little bit
more,” said Kmet. He urged those who served to share their story with family
and friends.
“Whether you were on the front lines or not, they
will be forever grateful in knowing a little bit more about their family
history,” he said.
With a resolution passed by the Thurston County Commissioners earlier this week, Commissioner Bud Blake announced that Thurston County was designated a Purple Heart County, in honor of those who have sacrificed for our country.
Above:
Hundreds of members of Rolling Thunder prepare to hold a ceremony at the Washington
State Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Monday. Rolling Thunder is a national
nonprofit with 90 chapters throughout the United States who are united in the
cause to bring full accountability for prisoners of war and missing in action
of all wars.
