North Side Voices
Q: Five people selected at random at the Rockwood Retirement Community at Hawthorne were asked: What does Memorial Day mean to you?
Dorothy Haenle: “It means a lot of memories. I’m from Illinois, and we had a big parade where the school bands would play and the veterans would march. I was a member of the Girl Scouts, and we would march along with everyone.”
Alice Kennedy: “When I was a kid, we would march in the American Legion parade in Illinois. We always wound up by the lake and had a picnic after the parade. I remember all the fancy salutes the veterans would give one another. I don’t have anyone around anymore who is in the service, so I remember those in the past.”
Byron Stevens: “I remember my time in the U.S. Army 492nd Engineers. I spent a lot of time in New Guinea and the Philippines. My service experience was good. I was an engineer, and we rebuilt the airstrips that the planes landed on. I operated heavy equipment mostly.”
Lawrence Anderson: “I remember my time in the service. I spent 35 years in the Air Force. I was a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft 3, the same camp where the movie ‘The Great Escape’ was filmed. I was there for one year, and my son was born the day I parachuted into Germany and was captured. We raised four kids in the service and spent 10 years in Japan. I am a member of the Inland Empire chapter of the ex-POWs here in Spokane.”
Ellen (Avery) Anderson: “All sorts of memories come floating back. I watched the geese fly overhead in a nature documentary and the ‘V’ formation of the geese reminded me of how the World War II planes flew. We are not people who dwell in the past. I love to see the flag fly and honor given. We don’t spend a lot of time in the cemeteries. We look to the future and think about our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We are grateful to God. It’s because of his grace that we are here today.”
Q: Five people selected at random at the Rockwood Retirement Community at Hawthorne were asked: What does Memorial Day mean to you?