81 veterans' names, 81 meaningful lives honored in Snohomish

SNOHOMISH — Tuck Gionet walked by the granite monument hundreds of times over the years and often would wonder: Who are these people?

The names, 81 in all, are etched in black in the gray stone at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the Snohomish High School campus.

They were young men from Snohomish who joined the military but never came home. Most had walked the halls of the high school where Gionet has taught for 24 years.

Gionet enlisted student body adviser Vince Ivelia to help bring the stories behind the names forward.

“I wanted people to see they were more than names on a plaque,” Gionet said.

At a Veterans Day assembly Tuesday, Gionet, students, teachers and others who ventured into the high school gym learned a little bit more about each of the hometown boys who gave their lives.

And they remembered the contributions of all veterans, including 11 now on the high school faculty, who served their country.

Tuesday was a time to reflect on the community's veterans, especially the 81.

“At first they were just names, names on a plaque, names on a list,” said senior Brenda Garcia, the student body secretary. “As everything came together, we could see they were people. They were students just like we are.”

Students gathered short biographies and, in some cases, photos of each former student who died in military service. Details of who they were and when they lived were presented at the assembly.

As each story was told a red chair was carried onto the gym floor by a student, veteran, relative or friend. The empty chairs were placed in ranks. A bell tolled for each name.

Not every former student who was honored made it to the high school.

The first 15 were former Snohomish students who served in World War I. Next came the 51 who died during World War II followed by eight during the Korean War and six in the Vietnam War.

The 81st name belonged to Marine Corps Cpl. Jeffrey B. Starr, 22, a 2001 Snohomish High School graduate who died in Iraq in 2005.

Starr's mother placed the final empty chair on the gym floor.

Together, the chairs spelled out SHS as the 50-minute assembly closed with the playing of taps.

A slide appeared on the big screen at the front of the gym. It asked: “What are you doing to honor the seat they gave you?”

Greg Guedel, a retired Army captain and Snohomish High graduate who returned to Snohomish, offered his suggestion to the students.

“We want you to make the most of your freedoms and opportunities,” said Guedel, who was recently elected to the City Council. “We want you to dream big and go for it.”

One of the goals of the assembly was to help students realize that the men who died for their country were in many cases not all that different from today's high school students. Some at Snohomish High School on Tuesday dressed up for the occasion. They wore sports clothing, Boy Scouts uniforms. The outfits were chosen to remember the activities the fallen warriors had engaged in during their student years.

“We asked ourselves, how can we make it where the whole student body will be motivated?” said senior Tara Harrington, the student body treasurer.

The students also tapped into their community, urging longtime residents, such as Keith Gilbertson, to remember something about the people whose names are on the monument, said senior Luke Perry, the student body president.

“It was really valuable,” Perry said.

Pursuing their stories became rewarding, “really touching,” said senior Johnny Mandella, the student body vice president.

Zach Snyder, 21, returned to his alma mater Tuesday in an U.S. Army desert camouflage uniform. He knew by the time he was 8 that he wanted to enlist in the military and he plans to make it a career.

Snyder said he was happy to see such a thoughtful tribute. “Veterans Day to a lot of people is just a day off, but this shows it is a lot more than that,” he said.

Gil Schwarzmiller also returned to his old high school Tuesday. Now 83, the Navy veteran of World War II gladly shook hands with more than a dozen students who came up to thank him for his service afterward.

“I was hoping it would be as good as this,” he said.

Not long afterward, Schwarzmiller could be found in front of a grocery store in town, handing out white plastic poppy flowers to raise money for veterans in need.

Schwarzmiller wasn't the only veteran who appreciated the students' efforts.

“Oh man, it was aces,” said Gray Hamer, 84, who served in the Army during World War II. “They put a lot of work into this.”

Elmer Johnson retired from the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic in 1987 after 22 years. These days, he's commander of the Snohomish Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

Johnson said he's glad the VFW and the local American Legion post could take part in the assembly.

Johnson said he was struck by the final red chair, the one representing Starr.

“He's the last name on the list,” Johnson said. “Hopefully, he will be the last one.”

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.