In the end - they did the right thing. The UW student senate has amended and approved Resolution R-12-26 : A Resolution Calling a Memorial for UW Alumni awarded the Medal of Honor. Great news!
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON:
THAT we desire the placement of a memorial to honor those University of Washington alumni who have been awarded the Medal of Honor, and
THAT the memorial will incorporate each individual so that all who come here in future years will know that the University of Washington produced five of this country's bravest citizens and that we as a community hold this fact in high esteem, and
THAT the memorial shall be placed in a location agreed upon by the administration of the University of Washington and the student body, and
THAT funding for the memorial will be acquired from private donations and collected by representatives of the University of Washington, be they administrators or students, and
THAT additions or modifications be made to the memorial in honor of future University of Washington alumni recipients of the Medal of Honor upon arrangement of necessary funding.
(emphasis mine)
There are five UW alumni who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and who are to be named upon the memorial:
- Col. (then Maj.) Gregory Boyington, USMC (Class of 1934)
- 1LT Deming Bronson, USA (Class of 1914)
- Brig. Gen (then Maj.) Robert Galer, USMC (Class of 1935)
- 2LT Robert R. Leisy, USA (Class of 1968)
- PFC William K. Nakamura, USA (non-graduate, left the UW in 1942 to join the Army)
Now the fund raising must begin. I'll post any news here whenever I have new info. If anyone is aware of specific fund-raising for this memorial, let me know in comments.
When this story first became public, a "Pappy" Boyington memorial fund was created to provide scholarships for students who are Marine Corps veterans or children of Marine Corps veterans. If you are interested in donating to that good cause, you can contact the UW Foundation here.
Congratulations to the student senators, they are continuing the mission. |
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