I just finished reading J.A. Jance’s novel Second Watch, which I purchased during her visit to Centralia in February. I figured I’d better read it before she talks Saturday about the book and her friend, Second Lt. Leonard Douglas Davis, who was killed in Vietnam.
She’ll be speaking at 4 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Museum, where the Vietnam Traveling Wall will be displayed and open to public viewing at no charge Thursday through Sunday.
It’s surprising how many people I’ve met recently who, like Detective J.P. Beaumont in Second Watch, have undergone double knee replacement surgery.
When she was alive, my mom and I used to swap Jance books. We enjoyed reading about Beau and the mysteries he unraveled, often spotting references to local landmarks such as the Winlock Egg.
Lennie D., known as Doug at his high school in Bisbee, Arizona, was 22 when he was killed by mortars on Aug. 2, 1966, in Pleiku Province. In Jance’s novel, she has her former high school classmate appear in Beaumont’s drug-induced sleep, encouraging him to tell his fiancée Bonnie Abney how much he loved her. Abney will share the podium with Jance during Saturday’s presentation honoring those who never made it home.
The 370-foot long wall, an 80 percent scale replica of the memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., arrives in Lewis County Wednesday, when it will travel through the Twin Cities accompanied by the Brothers in Arms motorcycle group.
Friday features Centralia resident Travis Wofford, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who served as a rescue helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He was awarded the Air Force Cross Citation “for heroism in military operations.”
Saturday at 11 a.m., Army Special Forces Major John Plaster of Wisconsin, who is credited with 22 missions deep behind enemy lines along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and Cambodia, will honor those veterans who returned home. He is the author of six books, including SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam. He’ll be signing those books upstairs afterward and Jance do so at 2 p.m.
Chehalis resident Peter Slempa, who hired me to help publish his book, will be signing copies of Why Me, Lord? Reading his stories, I am amazed this man is alive today. A member of the first Navy SEAL teams, Slempa survived after being knocked off the USS Worcester CL-144, jumped from perfectly good airplanes, completed jungle and arctic survival training, and served six tours in Vietnam. In his book, Master Chief Petty Officer Slempa talks about life in the elite Sea, Air, Land squad formed January 1, 1962.
Lee Grimes, cofounder of the Veterans Memorial Museum, also will sign copies of The Miracle Museum, which tells how the museum started, survived, and thrived.
I look forward to joining retired Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Stan Baker Sunday at 9 a.m. for a nondenominational general Protestant service similar to those held in the field during the Vietnam War. Colonel Ron Averill, a former Lewis County commissioner and instructor at South Puget Sound Community College, will speak at 1 p.m. during the closing ceremonies.
Commissioner Candidates
My husband and I listened to five of the six Lewis County commissioner candidates last week and I’m hoping to hear them again Wednesday at noon when they speak at the Toledo Senior Center. I haven’t marked my ballot yet, but plan to do so after their presentations.
Toledo Library
Supporters of the Toledo Community Library have given more than 5,000 books to grace shelves donated by the Timberland Regional Library, which will have a kiosk there. The Cheese Day bake sale raised more than $360 to help cover utility costs.
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Julie McDonald, a personal historian and former journalist who lives in Toledo, owns Chapters of Life, a company dedicated to preserving family stories. She may be reached at memorybooks@chaptersoflife.com.
