| Nov ’09 |
| 11 |
Veteran’s Day is this coming Wednesday, Nov. 11th, and Brown Bear Car Wash will be honoring vets and current service military (as well as spouses) with free car washes all day.
The nearest location is the one in Des Moines, located at 22706 Marine View Drive; others are in Federal Way, Kent, Auburn and Renton (see list below).
As a way of saying “thanks” to our military, Brown Bear will be offering free “Bear Essential” car washes to all current or former members of the military, including spouses.
“Our organization is proud to honor veterans and service personnel,” said Brown Bear President and founder Vic Odermat, himself a Marine Corps veteran. “While the washes are free, we know that freedom is not. This is a way for us to show our support and gives us a unique opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to people who sacrifice so incredibly for our freedom.”
Odermat said the offer will operate on an honor system and no verification or documentation is required. Drivers should identify themselves as a current or former member of the military to the wash attendant.
Odermat started Brown Bear in Seattle in 1957 with one location. They now own and operates car washes throughout the Puget Sound area and Spokane.
Here’s a list of participating locations nearby:
- 22706 Marine View Dr., Des Moines
- 34017 Hoyt Rd. SW, Federal Way
- 814 Auburn Way S, Auburn
- 1202 W Meeker St., Kent
- 800 S Grady Way, Renton
- 621 Rainier Ave. S, Renton
- 77 Rainier Ave. S, Renton
| Nov ’09 |
| 11 |
| 2:00 pm |
A special Veteran’s Day Commemoration is coming to the SeaTac Community Center on Wednesday, Nov. 11th to celebrate both the history of Des Moines Memorial Drive as well as honor women who have served their country.
Here are the details:
WHAT: Veteran’s Day Commemoration: Women in Service
WHO: Scheduled speakers include:
- Kitty Milne, Highline Historical Society
- Congressman Adam Smith, 8th District
- Peggy Caudill, Intertribal Warrior Society (former Nurse in the U.S. Army)
- Carol Reed, American Legion (former Sergeant in the U.S. Marines)
- Kit Ledbetter, City of SeaTac
WHEN: Wednesday, November 11th from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: SeaTac Community Center, located at 13735 24th Avenue South SeaTac, WA 98168; (206) 973-4680
INFO: The Des Moines Memorial Drive – The Living Road of Remembrance, is an eight-mile stretch of road through the cities of Des Moines, Burien, SeaTac and the Boulevard Park area of unincorporated King County. The Drive was completed in 1922 with the planting of 1,100 American elm trees, each commemorating an individual from Washington state who died in World War I. On November 11, 1963 a memorial wall commemorating the history of the Drive was dedicated at Sunnydale School in Burien.
ABOUT: The Des Moines Memorial Drive Committee, a citizen advisory committee created in 2000, developed a plan for restoring and enhancing the memorial road. The plan outlines how jurisdictions will implement enhancement efforts as part of future road improvement projects. For more information, visit www.roadofremembrance.org.
From their press release:
Community members are invited on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, to celebrate a local historic road which honors the fallen soldiers of World War I. In addition to highlighting the history of Des Moines Memorial Drive, the event this year will honor women who served in the military during World War I and over the decades since that conflict. The event will be held at 2:00pm at SeaTac Community Center, located at 13735 – 24th Avenue South, in SeaTac.
Des Moines Memorial Drive is an eight-mile stretch of road which winds through the Boulevard Park area of unincorporated King County, SeaTac, Burien and Des Moines. In 1922 the project was completed with the planting of 1,100 American elm trees to line the roadway as a “living” memorial to those who lost their lives in World War I. Over time, the impacts of disease, radical pruning and utility installations have decimated most of the elms. Forty-six years ago on November 11, 1963, a memorial wall commemorating the history of the Drive was dedicated.
While held on Veterans Day, the event will also mark the day formerly known as Armistice Day, which is the anniversary of the official end of World War I (November 11, 1918). Elected officials including Congressman Adam Smith and local mayors will honor the historical nature of Des Moines Memorial Drive and the special role that women played in the country’s military history.
An Advisory Committee was created in 2000 with representation from King County, local cities, other interested public agencies, and concerned citizens to develop a coordinated vision for restoring and maintaining the living memorial. The resulting plan, which has been accepted by all the participating jurisdictions, outlines how the local cities can also incorporate similar memorial elements in their future road improvement projects along the Drive.
Des Moines Memorial Drive has national significance on several accounts:
- It is the earliest planned “living road of remembrance.”
- It is the only “living road of remembrance” that uses Elm trees.
- At 10 miles, it is the longest “living road of remembrance.
In addition to the celebratory event, interpretive displays prepared by the Highline Historical Society will be available for public viewing. Local veterans and school groups are expected to take part in the event that will also recognize the ongoing cooperative efforts of the cities and county. learn more about Des Moines Memorial Drive, visit www.roadofremembrance.org.
by Janet Grella
When BTB Editor Scott Schaefer remarked that we didn’t have a story for Veterans Day, my first and only thought was to stop by the Burien headquarters of Paralyzed Veterans of America.
I’ve been driving by that office for 14 years, and always wanted to know what they were up to. Turns out a lot…
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Located at 616 SW 152nd in Burien, this is headquarters for the northwest region, serving over 400 paralyzed service men and women in Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Western Montana. The Paralyzed Veterans of America is a congressionally chartered veterans service organization founded in 1946. NWPVA (Northwest Paralyzed Veterans of America) was founded in Burien over 30 years ago, and has been at their 152nd location for 20 years.
They are paralyzed veterans advocates at both the state and national level. Their mission is to protect veterans’ rights on the issue of quality healthcare, to promote the research and education addressing spinal cord injury and dysfunction, and protect the civil rights and opportunities to maximize the independence of its members.
Veteran David Zurfluh was once paralyzed from the neck down but is now able to walk.
The office is manned by Executive Director Ernie Butler, and Office Manager Lisa Lawrence. NWPVA depends on volunteers that are veterans of military accidents. President and volunteer of NWPVA, David Zurfluh told BTB that most veterans with spinal cord injury occurred during military accidents as opposed to war. David wants our readers to know that the PVA is for veterans who have suffered spinal cord injuries due to to severing, diseases of the spine or MS.
David’s accident occurred after he left the first Gulf War and was stationed in Japan. He was career Air Force getting ready to become a flight engineer. He was injured while in a training exercise with the Japanese National Self Defense Team – he was a passenger in a car accident that severed his spine. He was paralyzed from the neck down for the first two weeks of his hospitalization. The doctors gave him an outside chance of walking again. Thirteen years later and years of rehab, David is what is known as an “Incomplete Quadriplegic”, which means after wheel chairs, then leg braces, David is able to walk, thanks to the help of AFO’s, or Artificial Foot Orthodics that function as a mini-brace around his ankles. He thinks he walks like Peter Boyle’s “Frankenstein”, but he IS walking, and able to use his left hand (he was formerly right handed). He credits the PVA’s advocacy in research, education and technical advances in spinal cord injuries to doubling his and others’ life expectancies.
NWPVA is currently fundraising for the National Veterans Wheel Chair Games in Spokane next July. Over 500 athletes from all over the United States and an honorary team from England will compete in Softball, Basketball, and Quad Rugby. Your donation will help the wheel chair athletes travel to Spokane. You can donate by using www.goodsearch.com, by clicking on their donation page, or by mailing a check to:
NWPVA
616 SW 152nd
Burien, WA 998166
If you’ve never seen Quad Rugby, check out this video – this is one intense sport:
NWPVA has local sports outings, including hunting, fishing and shooting.
“You put a gun in an army or marines hands and they just love it”, explains David.
Other things they do for NWPVA members is monthly pizza parties, including salad and soda at the Spinal Cord Unit at Veterans Hospital, a Christmas party and summer picnic for members.
What are David and his group of volunteers at NWPVA doing this Veterans Day and the day after? Visiting 50 paralyzed veterans at the Spinal Cord Unit at Seattle Veterans Hospital to let them know they are not forgotten, and honor each and every one for their service.
Perhaps readers of BTB should take a moment to honor them and other veterans too.
| Nov ’08 |
| 11 |
Veteran’s Day is Tuesday, Nov. 11th, and with it come the usual holiday closures:
- Schools
- Libraries
- Most banks and credit unions
- Most government offices
- Post offices closed; no home-mail delivery
- State liquor stores
- Buses and ferry service will operate on regular schedules
- The good news? No school, and parking meters won’t be enforced – so take the kids somewhere fun after paying tribute to a Vet!
Also, more severe weather is predicted for the area, with this warning coming from the gods at the National Weather Service:
Flood Watch in effect from Tuesday afternoon through late Wednesday night.
The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Flood Watch for portions of western Washington… including the following counties… Grays Harbor… Clallam… Jefferson…Skagit… Whatcom… King… Kitsap… Lewis… Mason… Pierce…Snohomish…Thurston…
From Tuesday afternoon through late Wednesday night a series of fronts is expected to affect the region Tuesday into Wednesday with the potential for very heavy rains over the mountains.
The first front is expected to spread rain across western Washington early Tuesday. Snow levels will start out around 4000 feet then rise to near 6000 feet in the afternoon. This front is expected to produce anywhere between a half inch to one and a half inches of precipitation over the mountains.
A second… stronger front that has entrained tropical moisture will raise the freezing levels above 9000 feet and spread heavier rains across the area. The combination of a strong westerly wind in the mid levels of the atmosphere and abundant moisture is expected to produce very heavy rains along the west slopes of the Olympics and Cascades Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Rainfall amounts over the Olympics and Cascades Tuesday night into Wednesday morning are expected to exceed 3 inches with local areas along the west slopes exceeding 6 inches.
A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on the current forecasts. Residents in the watch area should be aware of the potential for significant rainfall that could lead to flooding and be prepared to take action should flooding develop.
