Community Service at Nisqually

Above: Members of the Olympia Mountaineers and Rotary Club of Olympia worked together Sunday morning to make the boardwalk a safer experience for visitors at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Unfazed by the rain, the Olympia Mountaineers combined forces with the Rotary Club of Olympia Sunday morning to scrape slippery moss and leaves off the boardwalk at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

Both organizations are well known for their stewardship and community service efforts.

It was a welcome collaboration for Peter Yager, Visitor Services Assistant, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. After a brief talk about safety, Yager directed the volunteers to areas that needed the most attention.

Pileated woodpeckers, deer, frogs, hawks and eagles made their presence known throughout the morning’s work.

Above: Pacific tree frogs at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday.

Later, Yager expressed his appreciation for the group’s efforts, saying the Refuge has only one maintenance worker and one part time Washington Conservation Corps crew worker.

“Twelve volunteers worked three hours for a total of 36 volunteer hours. That’s equivalent to a week’s worth of work. This was serious work that needed to get done,” he said.

Asked how many volunteers come to the Refuge do this sort of work, Yager said he doesn’t get as many requests to work as he thought he would. Yager came to the Refuge two years ago from Yellowstone National Park.

“I do have a group of middle school kids who come to pull Scotch broom every year and some Boy Scouts come and scrub the signs,” he said.

He welcomed the two organizations back. After all, the leaves are still falling.

For more information on possible service projects at the Refuge, contact Peter Yager, Visitor Services Assistant, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, 100 Brown Farm Road, Olympia, at (360) 753-9467 or peter_yager@fws.gov.

Above: A safer boardwalk for visitors at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge gave volunteers, including this writer, a great deal of satisfaction.

Memorial Day 2017

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

http://www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

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.