A site steeped in Northwest military history, a new memorial honoring local war fatalities and several cemeteries will host events over the Memorial Day weekend.
While the holiday is dedicated to military personnel who lost their lives in service to our country, the cemeteries will salute all veterans buried there.
That can be a significant percentage. About 6,000 people are buried in the Camas Cemetery, and 834 of them — 14 percent — are veterans.
The activities will start with Saturday’s ceremony at Fern Prairie Cemetery north of Camas and will run through Monday afternoon, with a living-history program that follows the observance at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
Fort Vancouver hosts the biggest of Clark County’s Memorial Day events. It keeps getting bigger, which prompted a recent relocation within the national park to the bandstand opposite Officers Row. Previously, the ceremony organized by the Citizens Military Appreciation Committee was held at the Clark County Veterans War Memorial, near the center of the former Army post.
“There were 300 to 400 folks” in attendance, said Larry Smith, co-chairman of CMAC and Monday’s master of ceremonies. “There are 1,500 now. It’s worked out extremely well, and we can expand the site.”
The community events:
• Fort Vancouver
Marine Lt. Col. Brad Aiello will be the featured speaker in the 11 a.m. event Monday at the bandstand on the historic Parade Ground, opposite Officers Row.
The Clark County resident is based at Swan Island in Portland as inspector-instructor, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group. Commissioned a second lieutenant in 1995, Aiello participated in both combat and humanitarian assistance operations during the Kosovo Campaign.
Deployed to Kuwait in February 2003, he participated in combat operations during the invasion of Iraq. Aiello deployed again in January 2009 to Baghdad, where he was senior adviser to the Iraqi director of military engineering.
The annual Soldiers’ Bivouac living history encampment will be set up in the grassy area between the bandstand and the Visitor Center. The re-enactors will represent almost a century of American military history, from the frontier era through World War II.
There will be free public parking at Hudson’s Bay High School, 1601 E. McLoughlin Blvd. C-Tran will provide free shuttle buses between the school parking lot and the event site.
• Washougal
Mayor Sean Guard will provide the welcome to Monday’s annual observance at the Washougal Memorial Cemetery, 3329 Q St. The 11 a.m. ceremony will include a rifle salute by an American Legion honor guard and a keynote speech by John Clapp.
Small flags will be placed on the graves of veterans during the weekend.
• Camas
Boy Scouts will conduct a flag ceremony at 9 a.m. Monday at the Camas Cemetery, 630 N.E. Oak St.
Flags will be placed around the cemetery’s perimeter, and smaller flags will be placed on the graves of veterans.
• Battle Ground
Monday’s 11 a.m. ceremony will be the first Memorial Day observance at the Battle Ground Veterans Memorial at Kiwanis Park, 422 S.W. Second Ave. It was dedicated on Veterans Day.
Mayor Philip Johnson will lead the ceremony, with the Battle Ground High School Air Force Junior ROTC Color Guard presenting the colors.
The names will be read of 31 local military personnel who died in service to our country.
• Fern Prairie
On Saturday, a Veterans of Foreign Wars honor guard will conduct the 11 a.m. ceremony at Fern Prairie Cemetery, 25700 N.E. Robinson Road, Camas.
The names of soldiers buried there will be read aloud. Flags will be placed on the graves of veterans.
