May 27 2026 | Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief
First honored in 1868, Memorial Day, then titled Decoration Day, came after the Civil War to memorialize fallen Union soldiers, who totaled more than 300,000 deaths. Reportedly, the country was in deep mourning, and the annual honoring of Memorial Day would allow for a period of grief during a time when flowers were anticipated to bloom.
After World War I, the day expanded to encompass all military personnel who died while serving; it should be noted that Veterans Day is separate from Memorial Day by honoring all veterans, whereas Memorial Day is focused on those who died while in service.
For many years, the holiday took place only on May 30, as it was first honored then, but in 1971 it was changed so that federal employees and schools would receive a three-day weekend — which also marked Memorial Day as a federally recognized holiday.
This year, Memorial Day was on May 25. Western’s campus was closed — among all other schools — to observe the day.
Commonly, many might see Memorial Day as the start of the summer season. Often, it boasts good weather and a time to bond with others; however, not everyone sees Memorial Day as a time of celebration due to its deep connotations and core message. Families often visit the cemetery or memorial sites of soldiers or, in Western’s case, arrange a banquet in honor of the fallen and missing.
Western’s 10th Annual Memorial Day Banquet took place May 26 at 4:30 p.m., organized by the Veterans Resource Center, and filled the Pacific Room inside the Werner University Center. On the event listing, the VRC wrote, “Each year we remember the brave soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in support of our great nation.” The event handed out two student awards, including Student Veteran of the Year, which junior Hailey Toornstra received.
Western itself has a history of students departing the Monmouth community to join the war effort, with multiple students-turned-soldiers dying in World War II. More than half of all students attending Western during World War II, which spanned from 1939-45, were men who were drafted, specifically 117 men in 1943, 65 men in 1944 and 128 men in 1945.
The 1944 yearbook was dedicated to four Western men who died in service — Lt. Wilbur Birdsall, Capt. Ray Williamson, Harold Crook and John D. Haworth.
While information online regarding Western students from the 1940s is scarce, Williamson was reported in a newspaper from 1943 to “like flying better than anything else” and wanted his own plane following the conclusion of the war, which he did not live to see. He was one term away from graduating before joining the Army Air Corps. In November of 1943, the B-26 Marauder that Williamson was piloting was shot down. He is buried in France, but memorialized locally.
Frank A. Swaski was a commissioner on the student council at Western, vice president of the West House, which acted as a dorm hall, on the baseball team and a freshman in 1943. Within twelve months, Swaski was in the Air Force, helping fight in World War II as a gunner on the B-24J Liberator #42-109844, 514th Bomber Squadron, 376th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces. On July 8, 1944, he was reported as missing in action in the Capitol Journal out of Salem, Oregon.
Swaski had lived his whole life in Oregon, having been born in Sweet Home, and is now buried in Italy alongside 3,095 missing service members. He was nineteen and posthumously granted a Purple Heart and the Air Medal. The 1945 yearbook was dedicated in his honor, alongside another, Russell Newhouse, who had little to no information available online.
At Western’s Memorial Day banquet, Williamson and Swaski, alongside the others, were honored as Wolves.
Beyond the scope of Monmouth, 1.2 million American soldiers have died while serving their country, with the Arlington National Cemetery having more than 400,000 service members, veterans and their dependents. Approximately 3,000 people participated in this week’s Memorial Day parade out of Washington D.C.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek presented at the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs Memorial Day event. “Memorial Day is not simply a tradition, it’s a responsibility — a responsibility to remember the human cost of war, to honor those who never came home and to ensure that their sacrifices are never forgotten,” said Kotek.
Those who are interested in learning more about Memorial Day can reach out to the Veterans Resource Center on campus, look at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website or find local organizations and memorial sites, such as Timber Linn Memorial Park in Albany, where former Western students like Williamson are named.
Contact the author at howleditorinchief@wou.edu
