Posted on 07/18/2005 12:35:21 PM PDT by MarMema
On a rolling hill in the middle of a veteran’s cemetery, one young Boy Scout’s resolve helped honor a shipmate forgotten for half a century.
A year and a half ago, during a veteran’s day ceremony in Seattle’s Evergreen-Washelli Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, then eight and a half year old Boy Scout, Kevin Menzia, turned away from the services and gazed over the rows of neatly placed gravestones. Among the thousands of marble headstones in the Navy veteran’s section of the cemetery, Kevin noticed something odd. One of the stones was missing.
“We go up and clean off the graves when we come, and one day we noticed one only had a small concrete marker on the ground,” said DeAnn Wells, Kevin’s mother who has brought him to the Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery every Veteran’s Day since he was two years old to honor America’s servicemembers. “Kevin said, ‘that’s not right, this man deserves a headstone too.’ I guess that’s where it all started.”
What it started was Kevin’s quest to honor a man he knew only three things about. In place of where the gravestone should have been was simply a small piece of concrete, largely overshadowed by the surrounding gravestones. The marker said the grave belonged to a man named Thomas Leonard Killeen, who was born in 1896 and died in 1947. But most importantly, and what spurred Kevin into action, Killeen was a veteran of the United States Navy.
Kevin and his parents tried everything to find out more about Thomas Leonard Killeen. The cemetery’s records indicated the body was still there and hadn’t moved to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., as is the case when the gravestone is absent. Unfortunately, they had no information as to why the marker was missing. Subsequent inquiries with Killeen’s branch of the armed forces shed even less light on the subject. The Navy couldn’t tell where Killeen was from, when he served, or how he died. It seemed the only record of the man’s life was left in a few brief words inscribed on a small piece of cement over his grave.
After a year of looking, the only thing more Kevin found was that because his burial plot was in a veteran’s cemetery, Killeen was honorably discharged from the Navy.
He knew something needed to be done. A formal headstone, like the ones the thousands of veterans buried around Killeen all enjoyed, seemed like the perfect overdue tribute to a veteran of the armed forces. Kevin began collecting pledges from friends, family, and community members, anyone who’d be willing to offer him a few dollars. In exchange, he and other members of Chief Seattle Council Boy Scout Pack 301, Webelos Den 1, went to Matthew’s Beach Park, Seattle’s largest freshwater bathing beach, and started cleaning.
Kevin’s father, Fred Menzia, couldn’t be more pleased with his son’s project. When asked how a 10-year-old boy could do such a noble thing, he cited the patriotism he’s tried to instill in the young Boy Scout.
“I’ve told him the one thing you have to do in life, whether you agree or disagree with the policies that put our troops in harm’s way, is you have to support the troops,” he said.
After more than a year of collecting pledges, Kevin had raised over $200. He went to the staff of the Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery and told them he needed a headstone. The staff was so impressed with Kevin’s gesture they donated the monument for free and waived the cost for installation. Kevin’s earnings went toward the upkeep fee, which provides lawn mowing and cleaning for the plot. What was left over, he donated to the Veteran’s Memorial Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping the spirit of America’s veterans alive.
Paul Elvig, general manager of Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park and Funeral Home, has been in the cemetery business for over 38 years. In one of the most emotion-soaked working environments in the world, Elvig said he’s never seen anything quite like this.
“It completes this whole section,” he said, sweeping his hand toward the hundreds of granite headstones, among which, now sits Kevin’s tribute. “It was the last hole in the wall, so to speak.”
Finally, in a ceremony last Wednesday at the Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery, the 10-year-old Webelos scout dedicated the burial marker to Thomas Leonard Killeen. As taps played, the Naval Base Kitsap Honor Guard presented Kevin with a folded flag for his outstanding accomplishment, while his Webelos troop gave him the Boy Scout salute.
Kevin didn’t think he deserved so much recognition. The matter was simple for him, he saw something wrong, and he fixed it.
“I just saw that there was no marker there and I thought that wasn’t fair,” he said.
“It’s a lesson that one person can make a difference but it takes a lot of people to help them along in that journey,” added Wells, close to tears with pride for her son. “Evergreen-Washelli put in a flower vase so we’ll stop by every so often and leave some flowers. We feel like we have family here now.”
They didn’t know each other. In fact, one died almost five decades before the other was born. But because of the dedication and tenacity of one young scout, a Navy veteran can finally rest in honored peace alongside his Navy brothers and sisters.
ping
Maybe Jack would enjoy this story.:)
Excellent scout - This is the kind of person the ACLU doesn't want the Boy Scouts turning out, people who know right from wrong without the media telling them.
Their's a reason the first man to walk on the moon was an eagle scout. ( The eagle has landed )
Travis this one's for you.
What a fantastic story....thanks for posting it.
Impressive!
Sniff.
That's not possible, but you're absolutely correct about it being impressive. This young man has learned the lessons about Duty and Honor.
And thankful for the principles of the Scouts: "On my honor I will do my best for God and my country, and to obey the Scout oath." It's been almost fifty years since I said that in uniform and gave the three-fingered salute. Hope I got it right. It has been exactly fifty years since I earned my Webelos.
Congressman Billybob
Thank you for posting this. What a day brightener.
Ping
There are still some young American patriots!
Salute Thomas Leonard Killeen - USN
Salute Kevin Menzia - BSA
bump/bookmark
Aw, sniff, sniff (blow ...)
I'll print this off for my boys to read at supper tonight.
I was a Webelo. I'm still proud of it.
Webelo Scouts ping
My friend in Scouting sent this link to me. A nice story you might enjoy.
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