Ahead of Veterans Day, Lewis County commissioners recognized the 44 military veterans who now work for the county during a ceremony at Tuesday’s business meeting.
Following a presentation and recognition, commissioners praised the “incredible deep appreciation for all of our veterans.”
According to a list provided by Lewis County, the sheriff’s office leads all county departments with 15 veterans.
“Oftentimes, we watch movies of fantasy heroes, but when you really think about the heroes of our community and across the U.S., it is our veterans,” Commissioner Sean Swope said. “And knowing that at such a young age, that they make that decision to serve our country knowing at any moment they could lose their life to protect and defend our freedoms, I’m just so grateful for every veteran that has made that decision.”
In addition to the presentation, members from the Veterans Memorial Museum Quilts of Valor chapter attended the meeting to highlight the group's work and announce a monthslong fundraising push to provide veterans with handmade quilts.
“We would not even be in this room if it were not for our veterans,” Commissioner Lindsey Pollock said. “Having the honor of being able to support them, specifically one day, but frankly all year round, it’s a privilege that we have here in the United States.”
During the meeting, Commissioner Scott Brummer encouraged residents to attend a process that begins Friday at the Veterans Memorial Museum, where the remains of Frederick Clough, Robert Larson, Michael Damis and Russell Welk will be transported to the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent. The procession will leave the museum at 8 a.m. and is expected to arrive at the cemetery at 10:30 a.m. The remains of the veterans were not claimed by family members. The ceremony is being organized by the Lewis County Coroner’s Office.
“Those kinds of activities, I think, it’s great to be able to highlight the good things that are going on, both in our service members and honoring our service members, and then as well the work that so many volunteers are doing to support our veterans,” Brummer said.
Here is a list of veterans who now work for Lewis County:
Assessor’s Office
Tanya Hahn
Auditor’s Office
Larry Grove
Community Development
Bradley Clark
911-Communications
Eric Connor
District Court
Shawn Goldsby
Brad Holmgren
Wade Samuelson
Facilities
Steve Hunt
Human Resources
Kevin Dickey
IT
Chris Brewer
Jeremy Mannikko
Juvenile court
Shad Hail
Marc Harris
Abraham Moreno
Lowell Stewart
Gabe Wickert
Prosecutor’s Office
Luis Garcia-Flores
Holly Miller
Barbara Russell
Public Health and Social Services
Joe Henderson
Paul Mordick
Smokey Padgett
Heidi Palmer
Brian Warren
Public Works
Dan Anderson
Jeff Sanford
Todd Weaver
Sheriff’s Office
David D. J. Albright
Jesse E. Anderson
Andrew R. Corey
Scott C. Ferguson
Gabriel J. Frase
Ryan Hauck
Knut I. H. Larsen
Preston M. McGlamery
Tyler Trainer
Eric C. West
Fredrick M. Wetzel
Kelton F. Wheeldon
RJ Wheeler
William L. Wood
Andrew J. Yocom
Solid Waste
Tyrone Musselman
Ron Scharber
