The 2012 Readers Project: Honoring the Fallen
The Evergreen State College invites the public to its Memorial Day commemoration in honor of the U.S. military men and women of all races, faiths and nationalities who have died while serving in the Global War on Terror. The Readers Project: Honoring the Fallen will take place on the College’s Red Square, Thursday, May 24th at Noon. It will include recognition of each service member who perished in the past 12 months. An exhibit of the names of all the U.S. military fatalities since the start of the war will be on display in the Library lobby from May 22 through June 15. The college will be closed May 28th in observance of Memorial Day.
The 2012 Readers Project: Honoring the Fallen resumes the roll call memorial of the military dead that took place at the College one year ago. At that time, members of the community recited the names of all 6,058 U.S. service members who had at that point been identified by the Department of Defense as fatalities in the various campaigns of the Global War on Terror. Reflecting on the 2011 memorial, Evergreen faculty member Sylvie McGee remarked, “I want to remember that the moment before, these young people were full of life – loving their families, grooving to their tunes, sending emails to their girlfriends/boyfriends, and I hope believing that they would be home soon. We have to grieve, but also to celebrate the lives our fallen warriors had and lived with vigor. “
******On May 24, community members will recite the names of the approximately 400 servicemen and women who have been killed since May 1, 2011 and April 30, 2012. Readers will include Evergreen students, staff, and faculty, veterans, and representatives from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Naval Base Kitsap.********
The memorial is an opportunity for the community to recognize the fallen service members and contemplate the profound sacrifices that military families and communities throughout the nation are continuing to make.
The observance is being organized by The Veterans of Evergreen Transition and Success Team (VETS), an advisory group comprised of Evergreen staff, faculty and students.
Musical accompaniment will include Jeff Parkhurst, snare drummer for the Artesian Rumble Arkestra and the Squaxin Island Drummers and Singers as an opening introduction. Closing music will be performed by the Artesian Rumble Arkestra, Olympia’s own community street band, and Rona Yellowrobe Walsh, who will perform a combination of a Native American honor song and Taps on wooden flute to mark the conclusion of the reading.
For more information related to veterans at The Evergreen State College, please visit: Veteran Information at Evergreen
