Seattleite Julia Bolz will be presenting a photo essay of her work educating boys and girls in Afghanistan at St. Francis’ Parish Hall on Friday, Jan 22nd.

Last May, Julia spoke at St. Francis about “Alternative Strategies to War” (see our previous coverage here), and according to the Ayni Education website:

If you had met Julia in 1998, she was a partner in a downtown Seattle law firm.  Her story of going from a lawyer to a social justice advocate is a story in itself; but, she was greatly affected by the illness of one of her sister’s who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her illness really affected Julia, who found herself saying, “If I only had 6 months to live, do I like what I’m doing?  Do I like the legacy I’m leaving behind?”  After a great deal of soul searching, Julia decided to take a two-year sabbatical and moved to Africa.  She decided to do something that tugged at her heart-strings – human rights and social justice issues affecting women and children.

Here are the details:

WHAT: “The Peaceful Surge” – Julia Bolz’ photos about her journey building Afghan schools

WHEN: Friday, January 22, from 7-9 pm

WHERE: St. Francis Church, Parish Hall 15226 21st Ave, Burien 98166; enter parking lot from 20th Ave.

INFO: Refreshments will be served and there will also be a bake sale. Please bring ball-point pens to send to the students. Learn more about Julia’s work and how you can help: (donations are tax-deductible) www.aynieducation.org

CONTACT: For more information, contact Annie Phillips at 206-275-1393; St. Francis of Assisi Parish Social Justice contact: Frances Davis • 206-242-4575 ext. 29

From a press release:

Seattleite Mounts Peaceful Surge

Is military escalation the path to peace? What would victory in Afghanistan, look like?

Come find out why one brave woman is stepping up her work educating Afghan boys and girls. Find out what she thinks of the troop surge.

Julia Bolz will update us and show slides of the schools she’s built, the charming kids who attend them, and the village elders who work with her in rural Afghanistan. Friday evening at 7, January 22, at Saint Francis Parish Hall, on 152nd Street and 21st Avenue in Burien. Enter parking lot from 20th Ave.

Refreshments will be served, and there’ll be a bake sale. More items for bake sale are welcome! (come early)…and bring ball-point pens, which are hard to get in Afghanistan, for us to mail to students there.

Learn more about Julia’s work and how you can get involved: www.aynieducation.org Donations are tax-deductible.

Contact: Annie Phillips, 206-275-1393

Sponsored by Southend Neighbors for Peace, and St Francis of Assisi Parish Social Justice.

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:

1. It is the earliest planned “living road of remembrance.”
2. It is the only “living road of remembrance” that uses Elm trees.
3. 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.

Four veterans from Washington state will be honored with German-American Friendship Awards during the opening reception of an exhibit to honor the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Monday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m. in the London Room of the Airport Conference Center.

In cooperation with the German Embassy and the German Honorary Consul in Washington, the traveling exhibit “The Berlin Airlift – A Legacy of Friendship” commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift – one of the greatest humanitarian efforts of all time. The heroic efforts of the U.S. and Allied forces saved more than two million men, women and children in Berlin during a Soviet Union blockade beginning in 1948. This achievement is even more remarkable considering only three years earlier the Allies were bombing this same city.

Four U.S. veterans from Washington state who participated in the airlift will be honored by Washington state First Gentleman Mike Gregoire, Lt. Governor Brad Owen, the German Honorary Consul of Washington and representatives from the Port of Seattle.

The traveling exhibit, composed of over 60 photo panels, is part of the “Friends Always” campaign recognizing the powerful and enduring relationship between the United States and Germany. Since World War II, more than seven million American servicemen and women have been stationed in Germany. Together with their families, they formed lasting friendships. For more information see Friends Always – Legacy of the Airlift at www.germany.info.

The display will be next to the Airport Office Building elevators on the south end of the Ticketing Level. The exhibit will be displayed at Sea-Tac Airport from December 8 – 31 before heading to the Museum of Flight.

WHAT: The reception will honor four Washington WWII veterans of the Berlin Airlift with German-American Friendship Awards. The exhibit will also be opened to the public.

WHEN: Monday, December 8 at 2pm

WHERE: Sea-Tac Airport Conference Center, London Room

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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.

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.

TUKWILA – This Saturday, May 24th, from 2pm to 3:30pm at the Museum of Flight, you’re invited to meet and hear stories from the famed Tuskegee Airmen.

The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated, determined young men who enlisted to become America’s first black military airmen, at a time when there were many people who thought that black men lacked intelligence, skill, courage and patriotism.

Prior to the Tuskegee Airmen, no U.S. military pilots had been black, so you can imagine the hurtles they faced.

They came from every section of the country, with large numbers coming from New York City, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit. Each one possessed a strong personal desire to serve the United States of America at the best of his ability.

On Saturday, you can meet four actual surviving members of the 477th Bombardment Group out of Freeman Field, Indiana, including:

• Leslie Williams
• Fitzroy Newsum
• Lt. Roger “Bill” Terry
• Robert Maxwell

This historic program is free with Museum Admission.

The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E Marginal Way South in Tukwila; the phone number is (206) 764-5720.

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