WHERE PORTLAND MEMORIAL DAY REACHES

The guys in the top left set up in front of the wall from their years in the Vietnam War.

Marching in the bottom right, guys wear the gear from those same years.

“Aren’t they too young to wear the uniform?” one lady asked.

“They always are.”

Across the sloping hillside meadows of Washington Park comes Portland Memorial Day.

Paths crisscross through the woods, some carved into the angled land.

Their quiet step a reminder of days gone by.

“The worst part is knowing these guys miss days like today.”

“The sort of day makes you feel worthy of being alive.”

Like they did as young soldiers in-country, the old soldiers raised the flag where they landed.

They planted it on Portland Memorial Day at the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

“We were mortared and over-run in the same week. Worst week of my life.”

“That never happened to me.”

“Madison High School. Still live in the neighborhood. Went to Vietnam twice. My ribbons? A Purple Heart when I got shot, the rest are service medals.

“My kids went to Madison. Why move when everything is right?

“Lots of Vietnamese on my street. The church is a big center, along with a great store a couple blocks away.

“They’ve really made it a better neighborhood.

“I’ve been Portland my whole life, retired from the post office. Now I’m one of the memorial guys. I spend a lot of time at Willamette National Cemetery.”

NOTABLE PERSONS

Medal of Honor Recipients
Lieutenant Colonel Stanley T. Adams (Korea) U.S. Army, 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Sesim-ni, Korea, Feb. 4, 1951 (Section H, Grave 3623-O).

First Lieutenant Arnold L. Bjorklund (World War II) U.S. Army, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, Altavilla, Italy, Sept. 13, 1943 (Section H, Grave 3622-O).

Specialist 4th Class Larry G. Dahl (Vietnam) U.S. Army, 359th Transportation Company, 27th Transportation Battalion, U.S. Support Command, An Khe, Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam, Feb. 23, 1971 (Section H, Grave 3622-M).

Sergeant 1st Class Loren R. Kaufman (Korea) U.S. Army, Company G, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Yongsan, Korea, Sept. 4 & 5, 1950 (Section H, Grave 3622-N).

Others
Oregon Governor and U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (Section H, Grave 3623-H)

A Portland Memorial Day Wall.

Some filled all the way.

Others not so much.

There’s never enough flags to mark the path of war dead.

Not all the flags made in the history of flags would be enough.

But as long as there’s war, there’s flags.

Beside the trail on Portland Memorial Day.

Where have all the flowers gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the flowers gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the flowers gone,
Picked by young girls every one,
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the young men gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the young men gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the young men gone,
Gone to soldiers every one,
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Remember the top picture?

The guys in the top left set up in front of the wall naming the war dead from their time in Vietnam.

Marching in the bottom right, guys wear the gear from those years.

“Aren’t they too young to wear the uniform?” one lady asked.

“Younger than ever. They always are. And it never gets easier.”