Veterans Museum to Honor ‘Supreme Sacrifice’ on Memorial Day

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To ensure no veterans are forgotten this coming Memorial Day, the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis will be hosting several events, shining light on the ultimate sacrifices of the men and women who have served the country.

Chip Duncan, executive director of the museum, said the day's events are aimed at recognizing those who have been killed in combat or have died since serving in the military.

“I want to remind people that American men and women have given so much, and many of them have given their lives simply so we have what we have,” he said. “This is really to recognize our veterans who have died and veterans who gave the supreme sacrifice.”

The Memorial Day events will begin with a service at Claquato Cemetery where individuals of the community can remember those who served with “honor, dignity and sacrifice.”

The historic cemetery, located on the hillsides between Chehalis and Adna, is 3 miles west of the museum off of state Route 6.

There will be two speakers at the annual event. Duncan said the speakers will provide vastly differing opinions on what the day of remembrance means to them. 

The first speaker will be Matt Murphy, a Rochester resident who lost his leg on Sept. 14, 2009, while he was leading a squad of nine in Afghanistan. A 1,000-pound explosive overturned the Stryker he was on, throwing him 60 to 70 feet from the vehicle.

Murphy was treated in a German hospital and, even though he lost his left leg from the knee down, he earlier told The Chronicle he was one of the fortunate ones. Two of Murphy’s squad mates died in the explosion.

“For him, Memorial Day means the sacrifices he gave and the two buddies he lost in the attack when he lost his leg,” Duncan said. “The day clearly hits home for him.”

As for the second speaker, she has never served a day in the military. Kim Roller is an airline stewardess who became passionate about the men who lost their lives on the USS Indianapolis after reading about it. The heavy cruiser of the United States Navy was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945, at the tail-end of World War II. It sank within minutes in the South Pacific and was the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the Navy. Only 317 of the nearly 2,000 crew members survived. 



Roller got involved with the USS Indianapolis survivor group and became a huge advocate for telling the story of the men who were killed, according to Duncan.

“I’ve never met another person who is so passionate about veterans,” he said. “This will show what it means to a person who has served our country and what it means to an average civilian who has really made a tragedy a focus of her life.”

After the service at Claquato Cemetery, there will be a Veterans Tree of Life celebration at the museum. Dog tags of veterans who have died hang from a branch at the museum on permanent display.

Duncan said every year on Memorial Day, the names of each individual and their service record is read. If a family member is present, they are able to light a candle for that individual. If no one is present, volunteers at the museum will light a candle. 

Duncan said there are at least 150 dog tags on the tree — a number that continues to grow each year. 

“That’s not for veterans who are living anymore, but it honors those who have passed on and it also honors those killed in combat,” Duncan said. “It’s just a way we can honor them for their service.” 

The Memorial Day event will end with a benefit concert put on by the Westminster Presbyterian Bell Choir of Chehalis. This is the first year they will be performing in the Jensen Memorial Event Center in the museum directly after the Veterans Tree of Life Ceremony.

“They are an excellent bell choir, very professional and have very amazing performances,” Duncan said. 

Any donations collected during the benefit concert will go to the Veterans Memorial Museum.