History – Page 9 – Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063

Post honors its World War II veterans

By Alyson M. Teeter

Post 3063 members, friends, and family gathered with some of the post’s World War II veterans to honor their service at the post’s monthly social on Nov. 17, 2016.

Five of the post’s 14 living World War II veterans, along with two World War II veteran guests, were present at the ceremony. Members included Oscar Borchelt, Genaro Garcia, Herbert Leake, Al Linden, and Orville Mall, and the two guests were Richard Smith and Kristian Nielsen.

During the course of the night, members and guests mingled, recounted war stories, dined, and then participated in the recognition program. Commander Nestor Tamayao started the program with welcoming remarks and the Pledge of Allegiance.

“Freedom isn’t free and what you did kept our freedom,” said Commander Tamayao. “Our thanks extends from the World War II veterans to all veterans. Thank you to those attending.”

Orville Mall, a Post 3063 World War II veteran, examines his certificate after receiving it during the recognition ceremony.

Commander Tamayao also noted that his father was a survivor of the Bataan Death March so he especially understood how important it was to recognize their sacrifices.

Certificates that featured an illustration of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and membership longevity pins were presented to every World War II veteran in attendance.

Post 3063 Chaplain Bill Griffith then narrated a slideshow that included photos provided by the veterans and a historical overview of World War II.

“’Old soldiers never die, they just fade away,’” Chaplain Griffith said, recounting General Douglas MacArthur’s famous quote. “The VFW doesn’t want our veterans to fade away. But we noticed that World War II veterans weren’t attending meetings anymore.”

He went on to explain that they hoped to devise a program to track veterans closer. Part of this effort was the nexus for creating the night’s recognition program.

After the slideshow, the night ended with group photos, words of gratitude, and farewells. These veterans will not be forgotten.

WWII Members — From left, Richard Smith, Oscar Borchelt, Orville Mall, Herbert Leake, Genaro Garcia, and Al Linden.

Ballard Eighteen becomes Ballard Nineteen

We recently received an email from local writer and Ballard High School graduate, Jerry E. Smith, who is researching and writing a book on the eighteen (now nineteen) students from Ballard High School who were killed in Vietnam. A ceremony to add Doug Zeller to the Vietnam Memorial Plaque is scheduled Nov. 10, 4 p.m. at Ballard High School. The following is an excerpt from that email.

Then Ballard High School student, Doug Zeller.

I contacted Ballard High School Principal Keven Wynkoop and asked him whether there were a list or roster of the Ballard High School students killed in Vietnam. Keven photographed the Vietnam Memorial Plaque which is on display in the school and emailed me the photographs showing the names of the eighteen men whom had been killed. Three of them were boys I had personally known. Thus the “The Ballard Eighteen” began. I spent hours of research at the Ballard High School Library, the Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington, online with the Texas Tech University Vietnam Archives, and many other online sites, telephone calls, and emails searching for and contacting family members of the “Eighteen.”

By the beginning of 2016 I thought that I was close to being finished and decided to do a final edit with each of the families of the “Eighteen,” giving them an opportunity to review and fact-check my work. While I was at the home of Tom and Dianne Riordan they said that they thought that student Doug Zeller was killed in Vietnam. I explained that Doug was not listed on the Vietnam Memorial Plaque, so he must have survived. I promised them that I would do some additional research on Doug Zeller and find out what had happened to him.

Unfortunately, I learned that Doug Zeller was indeed killed in Vietnam but not listed on the Ballard High School Vietnam Memorial Plaque. So “The Ballard Eighteen” became “The Ballard Nineteen.”

Officer Profile: Commander Nestor Tamayao

This is the first profile in a series of profiles of the 2016-2017 Post 3063 officers.

Tell us about your new position and what you hope to accomplish during your term.

The position of Post Commander encompasses numerous duties and responsibilities in addition to its leadership role. A primary responsibility is to preside at all monthly meetings of the post and ensure that they are conducted in accordance with regulations, by-laws and applicable parliamentary rules. The commander appoints officer positions that are not elected positions, and appoints committee chairmen and committees as necessary. The commander approves all disbursements of funds properly authorized by the post, ensures all reports are processed and forwarded to the department and certifies that post trustees audit the post’s books and records.

A goal I have is to encourage many members who have not been or no longer attending meetings and socials, to participate when possible. With the help of the membership committee, I think we can reach out to those members and inspire them to be an active member of our Post. I also want to make sure our membership remains at 100 percent or better and concentrate on recruiting new members to help mitigate membership losses in the future.

How long have you belonged to Post 3063 and did you previously serve in an officer position?

I joined Ballard Eagleson Post 3063 in 1999 at the urging of a post member who I knew at work. Since that time, I’ve held the positions of trustee, surgeon, judge advocate, adjutant, quartermaster, junior vice-commander and senior vice-commander. I was going to continue with progression to commander the first time I was senior-vice, but had to relinquish that position when I took over as quartermaster when the quartermaster at the time unexpectedly passed away.

I have also been a District 2 Trustee and Junior Vice-Commander. In 2012, I was appointed as the WA State Inspector by the WA State Commander. That position involved a lot of traveling throughout the state’s 17 Districts which I had to inspect.

What is your military background?

I was drafted on March 23, 1971 and was directed into the Army. After basic training in Ft. Lewis, WA and then Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, I became a combat engineer with the 5^th Engineer Battalion at Ft. Leonard Wood. In December, 1971 I was given orders to report to a Replacement Company in Korea for duty in Vietnam. For some reason, those orders were flagged and I was reassigned to report to the 16^th Engineer Battalion in Furth, Germany. Towards the end of my two-year enlistment, I asked for an early release from active duty to return to college. Although out of active duty, I still had six years remaining of inactive Reserve duty. Two summers in a row I was called to Reserve duty and in 1976 decided to enter the Army Reserve.

In the Reserve, I began as a photojournalist with the 124^th Army Reserve Command 304^th Public Information Office at Fort Lawton, WA which was later re-designated as the 304^th Public Affairs Detachment. Besides a military journalist, other positions within the Reserve included administration specialist, editor of the Command’s Three Star Final newspaper, detachment sergeant, and first sergeant, combat medic and 70^th Regional Support Command Public Affairs Chief for the Command with units located in Washington, Oregon, Northern California and Utah.

I traveled extensively while in the Reserve and besides being deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina, had duty in Korea, Germany, Panama, Hungary, Croatia as well as numerous military installations in the Continental U.S. and Alaska. My final active duty was at the Pentagon in 2002 as an NCOIC at the Army Operations Center. In November 2003, I retired from the Army Reserve with 32 years of active and Reserve duty.

What do you enjoy most about belonging to the VFW?

Although it was not by design that I would be in the Army, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would not trade it for anything. Belonging to the VFW gives me a chance to still be a part of the military experience through the camaraderie I enjoy with the members of our Post as well as other Posts. The VFW is a large fraternal organization and its members have a common bond which members relate to. The “war stories” never get old.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell Post 3063 members?

I admire how our post has evolved into, once again, active participation by members. I recall when I was initiated, there were many in attendance and thought that was the norm. However, over time, the attendance at meetings began to dwindle to a point where we could not even have enough to constitute a quorum. Today we have many active participants in several committees, various activities and events, and members with new ideas and perspectives.

University of Washington hosts World War I Exhibit

By Lisa Oberg, University of Washington

As we approach the centennial of the United States’ entry in the first World War (April 6, 2017), staff in Special Collections in the University of Washington Libraries are planning an exhibit of Seattle’s WWI involvement. The exhibit will be installed on campus in late August and will run from September through January, 2017. There are many stories to be told about the war and Seattle’s contributions from the Red Cross hospital, Base Hospital 50, organized by the University of Washington to the Spruce Production Division logging Douglas Fir for the first military aircraft. And, on the home front, there was labor unrest, food rationing, victory gardens, bandage folding, knitting drives and more. Special Collections has some wonderful scrapbooks, personal papers and manuscripts relating to World War I, but we would welcome the loan of the following types of artifacts you might have in your personal collection or family memorabilia to supplement the exhibit.

WWI gas mask, helmet or uniform
Service Flags
Photos and memorabilia related to the UW’s Base Hospital 50 and U.S. Army Ambulance Corps
Overseas Hospital Service photos and memorabilia
WWI medals, unit patches, etc.
WWI women’s service photos and memorabilia
YMCA flyers, posters, post cards
Red Cross posters, flyers and other relevant WWI ephemera

If you have questions related to the exhibit or material you would be willing to loan contact the exhibit curator, Lisa Oberg, Head of Public Service, Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries. Lisa can be reached at 206-543-7492 or [email protected].

Mark your calendar and plan to visit the exhibit between Sep 1, 2016, and January 30, 2017. Contact Lisa, as well, if you’re interested in information about any programs offered in conjunction with the exhibit.

Military Songs: A Brief History

By Charles R. Anderson

Army symbol The Army Goes Rolling Along.” Originally “The Caisson Song” and official anthem of the U.S. Field Artillery Corps, it was composed by Lt. Edmund L. “Snitz” Gruber during a long march in the Philippines. Gruber heard an officer roar, “Come on! Keep ‘em Rolling.” Gruber’s relative Franz had composed “Silent Night” and was inspired to write the melody for a new song. Serving soldiers in the artillery helped compose the lyrics and the song became very popular during WWI. In 1948, when the Army wanted its own song, they held a nationwide contest. Despite hundreds of entries over the next four years none was acceptable, so the Adjutant General’s office recycled “The Caisson Song” and renamed it “The Army Goes Rolling Along.”

USMC symbol “The Marines’ Hymn.” The melody for this came from an aria in Jacques Offenbach’s Genevieve de Brabant. “According to tradition, an officer wrote the first verse of the Hymn on duty in the Mexican War (1846-1848). Meant to highlight the various campaigns of the Marines, the unknown author edited the words from the Marines’ colors and added them to Offenbach’s melody.” New, unofficial verses are added with each Marine campaign.

Navy symbol “Anchors Aweigh.” This one was written to rally the U.S. Naval Academy’s football team. The Navy bandmaster from 1887 to 1916, Lt. Charles A. Zimmerman, had been composing a march for each graduating class. A Midshipman named Alfred Hart Miles asked Zimmerman in 1906 to write an inspiring tune with some swing to it for a football marching song. The two men wrote the melody and lyrics and dedicated it to the class of 1907 (Navy did win that year over Army).

USAF symbol “The U.S. Air Force,” originally the “Army Air Corps” tune was the result of a contest sponsored by Liberty Magazine in 1938. Out of 757 pieces submitted, this one written by Robert Crawford was selected.

USCG symbol “Semper Paratus,” (U.S. Coast Guard). Both the motto and official song of the Coast Guard, the motto was adopted in 1910, and the words were composed in 1922 by Capt. Francis S. Van Boskerck. Five years later he completed the melody.

http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/militarysongs.pdf