Dozens gathered Friday morning at the Clark County War Memorial at Fort Vancouver in a somber ceremony to recognize U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonah McClellan, killed in action eight years ago that day.
Family, friends, and representatives from the Patriot Guard Riders and Community Military Appreciation Committee came together to honor the Battle Ground man. The ceremony was part of a new series recognizing the contributions and deaths of 16 regional military members killed in service to the United States since Sept. 11, 2001.
“If we did it for everybody, we’d be here day and night, so we just focused on the most current ones here that we knew the families were still having some kind of impact on their lives today,” said Lynn Vaughn, Southwest Washington district captain of the Patriot Guard Riders. “That’s basically what this is all about — not just honoring the veteran’s loss of his life, but also the family.”
The first in the series of ceremonies was held Aug. 13 to honor Marine Lance Cpl. Kane Funke, killed in action in 2004. On Thursday morning, family and community members gathered in remembrance of U.S. Army Master Sgt. Robb Needham, killed in action on Sept. 20, 2006.
The Patriot Guard Riders plan to hold a ceremony for each of the local fallen veterans on the anniversary of their deaths, once every three years.
“That’s so we don’t burn out our people, but the families, too — give them time to talk to each other about what we did, what they experienced, and then try to make it a larger ceremony for them next time, if they want to come out,” Vaughn said. “But mainly what we want to do is get the community to come out, because the community is the one that needs to show the support for the families.”
McClellan’s parents, Rod and Leona McClellan, attended Friday’s ceremony along with Jonah’s widow, Nina Wilson, six siblings, and a flock of nieces and nephews. They sat on the steps leading down to the Clark County War Memorial, where a photo of Jonah McClellan displayed his birthdate and date of death. They sang “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” and accepted a plaque in McClellan’s honor.
He had served as an Army helicopter pilot.
“It’s hard. I miss him a lot,” said Leona McClellan, choking up. “It’s hard. It’s an ache.”
“It’s not something that goes away,” Rod McClellan said. He thanked the Patriot Guard Riders and CMAG for putting together his son’s remembrance.
The series will honor “anybody who passed when they were in the service, whether they were combat or not,” said Mike Burton, a CMAC member who attended Friday’s ceremony. “People tend to forget things, and we don’t want them to forget.”
