The friends and families of two local soldiers who were killed overseas during military service memorialized the anniversary of their deaths Saturday with a ceremony at the Clark County Veterans War Memorial at the Fort Vancouver National Site.
Saturday’s ceremony was the second time the “Never To Be Forgotten” series has honored Army Sgt. Earl D. Werner, killed in action in 2009 in Rashid, Iraq, and Army Sgt. Bryce D. Howard, killed in action in 2007 in Jaji, Afghanistan.
The event series — hosted by the Community Military Appreciation Committee, the Patriot Guard Riders and the American Veterans Post No. 16 — began in 2018 and every three years honors 15 Clark County soldiers killed overseas since Sept. 11, 2001.
Werner’s son, Justin, thanked everyone for coming to remember his dad. He became choked up when recalling memories of his father in front of the small afternoon crowd. He told people about how his dad enjoyed four wheeling and riding horses and how he always put people first.
Howard’s wife, Amber, and two sons, Caleb, 21, and Ryen, 17, also held back tears as Amber described him as a “cocky little kid.”
“(The military) helped him grow up,” she said during the ceremony. “It helped him teach values to our kids.”
The memorial included full military honors, including taps and a rifle salute. The families were gifted a tracing of Howard and Werner’s names from a war memorial in Illinois and an American flag picture featuring the soldiers’ ranks and dates of deaths.
Amber Howard said it’s always meaningful when the year rolls around for this event remembering her late husband.
“It always means a lot that people come back and remember because we always remember it every day,” she said. “I love when people share the stories about him because, yes, he was a soldier, and that’s important — but he was also just such an amazing person, and his personality was one of a kind.”
Several of Howard’s friends attended Saturday’s ceremony and recalled his half-smirk, half-smile. They laughed that people could almost see the face they were describing on the poster memorializing him with his picture at Saturday’s ceremony.
Amanda Ries, the widow of David Ries, spoke about the importance of the events and supporting military families. Ries’ name was also on the wall of local fallen soldiers. Amber Howard said her family knows others on the wall and that they plan to attend the memorials for them as well.
Lynn Vaughn, Southwest Washington district captain of the Patriot Guard Riders, said the memorials are always emotional, no matter how many years it’s been since the soldier died.
“They still struggle,” he said of the families. “Ten years, 20 years from now, they’ll still be struggling. We know they’re still here, and we’re never going to let them feel that we have ever forgotten.”
Vaughn said they’ve committed to hosting the ceremonies on the anniversaries of each of the 15 soldiers’ deaths every three years, whether anyone shows up or not. Some families have moved out of the area or can’t handle another emotional memorial, Vaughn said, but the groups will come out to remember them anyway.
During the ceremony, Vaughn noted that the Aug. 28 memorial is unique because two local soldiers died on the same day, in different countries, two years apart.
Several of those at Saturday’s ceremony spoke of memorializing Werner and Howard with the 13 American soldiers killed Thursday in Afghanistan heavy on their minds.
Two more “Never To Be Forgotten” memorial events are scheduled for September. The groups are also planning a Sept. 11 remembrance event.
