Services Honor Valley War Dead
Palmer Blooms With Flanders Flowers
As Legion and VFW Sell Red Poppies
With Memorial Day Story
Palmer was a poppy lane the
day the bright memorial flowers
were sold.
The Palmer American Legion
auxiliary shepherded groups of
Girl Scouts, wearing their green
uniforms, hands filled with the
bright red flowers, made by hos
pitalized veterans. More than
$200 was realized from that one
day’s sale. The money is divided,
a percentage going outside, the
balance remaining in Palmer for
rehabilitation of veterans and
their families.
In most lapels two poppies
bloomed, for the Veterans of For
eign Wars from Wasilla, (there is
no Palmer VFW post) also had
^disabled veterans and members of
the auxiliary selling the Flanders
Field flower.
The American Legion auxiliary
members heading the poppy sale
were Mrs. Florence Dunlap, Mrs.
Dana Niemann and Mrs. Ann
Demming, auxiliary president.
The Co-Op Trading Post and
the Palmer post office were used
as headquarters. Poppies bloomed
in prominent shop windows. The
Palmer Drug window was deco
Everett Hepp of Fairbanks,
Attorney for the Fourth Division;
Frank Bingham of Nome, Attor
ney for the Second Division; and
Earl Cooper of Anchorage, Attor
ney for the Third Division, are in
Washington to attend a confer
ence of all United States Attor
neys throughout the country.
rated by Mrs. Demming and Mrs.
Dunlap. Betty’s, by Mrs. Izola
Sims and Mrs. Mary Steelman.
These were photographed and
pictures were sent to department
headquarters at Juneau for the
window display contest—the first
time Palmer has entered.
Special acknowledgment to
the shops assisting in poppy sales
was made by the auxiliary to Mrs.
Minnie Claik, Mrs. Jean Mae
Yohn, Mrs. Mary Louise Johns,
Mrs. Lu Rasmussen, and Mrs.
Merle Peterson.
Girl Scout leaders who assisted
in the poppy sale were Mrs. Fred
Stassel, Mrs. Charles Wilson and
Mrs. Richard Thompson.
And the Girl Scouts—too young
yet, perhaps, to know the tragic
history behind the bright and
courageous flowers they sold—
were Gretchen Esslinger, Susie
Ellington, Sondra Driggars, Ruth
Henry, Leanne Westgate, Jean
Brunner, Dorothy Lentz, Betty
Jo Wilson, Sally Reed, Madlyn
Hensley, Jill Cope and Roberta
Sharp. They are members of
Troop 26, Mrs. Charles Wilson,
leader.
Cheechako Homemakers’ club
met recently at the home of Mrs.
Dorothy Huntley. Refreshments
were served to 12 members and
their guests. After a short busi
ness meeting Mrs. Margaret Blom
gave an illustrated talk on land
scaping, Alaskan flowers and
shrubs.
ADMIRAL
Refrigerators!
$210.45
including freight
$70.50 Down—Balance
In 12 Monthly Installments
of $13.05 Each
Palmer Drag Store
LEST WE FORGET—
Veterans whose names are
carried on the list "in memo
riam" include some who gave
their lives in war, some who
lost their l'ves in later days.
They are:
WORLD WAR I
Lloyd Bell
Laurence Dreghorn
Grant France
Ivan Johnson
Bruno Ueeck
, WORLD WAR II
Joseph Anderson
Rudolph Dernac
William Granger
Darrell McKechnie
James Monahan
Lars Peterson
Albert Ring
Dale Sandvik
W. Walker
KOREAN WAR
For our boys who are there
today—or training to go out
tomorrow—let us pray there
are no casualty lists. May
they be our honored living in
stead of our honored dead.
At home in Palmer and receiv
ing congratulations are Richard
Hodsdon and his bride, the for
mer Martha Crawford. They
were married March 8th in Pal
mer, and spent their honeymoon
on a fishing trip in Seldovia.
New in Matanuska are Mr. and
Mrs. Verne Dry den from Weed,
Calif. He is a lineman at Wil
lawa.
nick Gooschin
Setten,
JEWELRY
AND WATCH
REPAIRS
QUALITY WORKMANSHIP
GUARANTEED SATISFACTION
r/
We have a reputation for
doing the BEST work, at
most moderate cost. Quali
ty work at honest prices
keeps our repair depart
ment busy!
Buy your Diamonds direct
from diamond setter and
save 1/3
NICK GOOSCHIN
Box 131, Anchorage
FIRING SQUAD AND POPPY WREATHS
HONOR DEAD IN LEGION CEREMONIES
Memorial day—in mid-morning—in Palmer cemelary—
The sun warms gently the new spring grass on the graves of the
men who are gone. Their names are dim on the headstones but burn
ed in eternal rememberance in the hearts of the men and women who
bore them, and others who have loved them.
Memorial day—and from the ranks of the living came those to
honor the ranks of the dead, in American Legion ceremonies.
In the little cup of the tree-surrounded Palmer cemetery, with the
purple mountains looming above, marched a young firing squad
from Ft. Richardson. Youngsters, like your son and mine, wearing
uniforms and steel helmets jauntly. Hands in white gloves. Muskets
oiled. And over the graves of the honored dead—graves of boys who
had started forth as our boys do today, sons of yesterday, whose
strong, young bodies now are dust—today's young soldiers fired a
salute of honor. Tomorow? Tomorrow, that may be their fate—if
wars go on—
Down the sun-spashed lane came the color guard. The American
Legion with its flags. The flag these honored dead had died for. And
then upon their graves, the women of the American Legion Aux
ilary placed the wreaths, with tears as dew upon them. Twined in
the wreaths were scarlet poppies:
“In Flanders field the poppies grow—between the
crosses, row on row.
To you from dying hands we throw the torch.”
.In the simple ceremonies were men who had fought out there, and
women who know the grief of war.
Representing the American Legion post were Bob Peterson, com
mander: Ray Lancaster, chaplain: Frank Bruckbauer, Richard Dem
ming, Edward Ueeck, Leonard Revering. In the auxiliary color guard
were Ann Deming, president; Izola Sims, past president; Mary Steel
man. past president, and Florence Dunlap.
The shots fired by the honor guard reechoed from the mountains.
The birds in the meadows . silenced for the time by the shots again
took up their trills.
The cars of those who had come to the Memorial services drove
away down the dusty road.
But the sun still kissed the graves of honored dead upon whose
graves rested the wreaths of remembrance and a new pledge of allegi
ance to the flag for which they had died.
r
NOW
OPEN
Hallea LodgeN*
KENAI PENINSULA ON
KATCHEMAK BAY AT MOUTH
OF BRADLEY RIVER
FISH ARE NOW RUNNING AND
BEAR HUNTING IS GOOD
Clayton DeLand, Resident Guide
Leo Lucas, Non-resident Guide
For Information, Reservations, Write to
H. E. FREDERICK
Box 14, Wasilla, Alaska — Lodge No. 1