While Veterans Day ceremonies were being held throughout Lewis County on Tuesday, Nov. 11, members of the Winlock Patriotic Citizens volunteer group once again lined the South Lewis County community’s streets with U.S. flags to mark the holiday.
At the Winlock-Olequa Older Adult Center, Vancouver resident Peter James Wolf gave a presentation sharing his experiences and photos from the trip he took with his son Brian Wolf last year to Normandy, France, for the 80th anniversary celebrations of the D-Day invasion during World War II.
Originally born and raised in Winlock, his father, Peter Richard Wolf, still resides in the area.
“Ever since he was a little boy, he was interested in World War II. He’s read books. He’s seen videos. He’s been to Pearl Harbor. And some of it stems from the fact that his grandfather was in the South Pacific during WWII, and his grandmother was a Rosie the Riveter,” Peter Richard said. “And his other grandfather, my dad, he’d tell Peter he was a tail gunner on a B-29, but actually he built the Liberty Ships in Tacoma.”
A researcher and self-professed history buff, Peter James hopes to soon publish a book focused on WWII history specific to the Pacific Northwest — as he sees it as one of the war’s areas which has not been property documented and is often ignored.
“If you served, I want to thank you for serving. You are one of the reasons why I can do this,” Peter James said. “My son can go to college, and I can pursue the interests that I have because of the service and sacrifices you made for our country.”
For more than an hour, Peter James detailed not only what he saw at the many D-Day museums and memorials located along the northern coast of France, but also the logistics and intelligence gathering operations which helped plan out the invasion.
The Winlock Patriotic Citizens group puts up U.S. flags for each federal holiday in the South Lewis County community, and is led by Winlock resident Tommy Thompson.
Those interested in joining the Winlock Patriotic Citizens can call Thompson at 360-880-8668 to learn how to get involved, or message him on his personal Facebook account at https://tinyurl.com/3nvtm9kz.
