Monument at New Auburn Cemetery contains 77 names etched in granite
By: Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer
11:15 PM PDT
"Imagine the lives behind the names," is one veteran's hope as Auburn
dedicates a new memorial today commemorating its war dead.
Their names etched in granite on a monument located on a tree-shaded
section of Auburn hillside, 77 war dead dating back to 1917 will be
honored at an unveiling ceremony at 9 a.m. in the New Auburn
Cemetery.
Terry Crouson, a retired Marine whose brother was killed in action
during the Vietnam War, said that many people tend to look at similar
monuments like the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C., as a series of
names. He wants them to look beyond that.
"I hope people come away with the understanding that here's people who
served with honor for their families, for their countries, and made the
ultimate sacrifice," Crouson said.
Auburn City Councilman Mike Holmes, a retired Navy captain, is credited
with the idea of a memorial and has worked since 2002 to create a
lasting tribute to the area's war dead. Dan Sokol, a World War II
veteran, has worked with Holmes and Crouson to make the monument a
reality.
Holmes said $30,000 was raised from a variety of sources - from the
United Auburn Indian Community to a World War II veteran to local
Rotary clubs - to pay for the monument. With an aisle of liquid amber
trees leading to the five-foot-high marker, the monument overlooks
Auburn from a prominent location in the Collins Drive cemetery.
Georgetown's Jane Goulding visited the cemetery Friday to place roses
on her father's marker. The monument is something he would have
appreciated, she said.
Dean Phillips is buried at the New Auburn Cemetery. Before his
daughter's visit, his marker had already been decorated in advance of
Memorial Day with a United States flag to signify his military service.
Phillips served in the Navy in World War II, including stints in Alaska
and Okinawa. He died in 1998 at age 84.
Goulding said she recently visited the new World War II memorial in
Washington, D.C., and felt her father would have been touched to see
it.
"It's sad to think that many of the people that are being memorialized
aren't around," Goulding said. "It would have been nice if my father
could have seen it but it's better late than never."
Holmes said he expects relatives and friends of some of the people with
names on the monument to be at Monday's ceremony. "Taps" will be played
by well-known local band leader Don Treco. A rendition of "Amazing
Grace" will be played on bagpipes. An aircraft fly-over is also
tentatively planned. Placer County Supervisor Jim Holmes and Auburn
Mayor Alice Dowdin are scheduled to attend.
Holmes identified two classmates on the monument from his days at
Placer High School - Don Huntley and Stanley Johnson. Since the effort
to build the monument began, two Auburn soldiers have been killed in
Iraq. The names of Jesse Mizener and David Waters, who died last year,
are listed with names of service personnel from World War I, the Korean
War and the Vietnam War. Most of the names are from World War II.
"It's long overdue," Holmes said. "We now have a place where people can
come and reflect on the sacrifices others have made."
Holmes said the monument committee made every effort to find all names
possible, going so far as to search old newspaper accounts. Selection
was based on whether a service member killed during a war had been
eligible to go to a Placer Union High School District school and
entered the service from Auburn. They didn't have to be killed in
action. At least one person from World War I died of influenza. People
also killed during training qualified for listing on the
monument.
No ranks or areas of service are mentioned on the monument. Only names.
Names that now have a place to be remembered.
Auburn Cemetery District Manager Sue Burkett said personnel would be
present to help visitors locate graves from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
today.
