Remembering the Fallen

On May 22, The Evergreen State College will hold a remembrance roll-call commemoration honoring the U.S. military men and women of all races, faiths and nationalities who have died while serving in the global war on terror.  In addition, 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 19 through June 2.  The commemoration and exhibit are open to the public.

“The Readers Project: Honoring the Fallen” will take place in the college’s library lobby, from noon to 1 p.m.  The college will be closed Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day.

The ceremony has taken place at the college for the past three years.  In 2011, members of the community were selected to recite 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.   In 2012, selected community readers recited the names of 422 U.S. service members who had been identified as fatalities within the prior twelve months.  This year we will add the 118 names of those who have given their lives in service to their country over the past year since our last reading in May 2013.

“The Evergreen State College is proud to provide this 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,” said Randy Kelley, director of Evergreen’s Veterans Center. 

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 and the Evergreen Veterans Resource Center.  For more information on the event, call the Evergreen Veterans Center at 360-867-6254.