Last Sunday I took a drive up to the Salem airport to view the “Sentimental Journey” — a B-17 Flying Fortress that flew in as part of the Flying Legends Tour.
The Boeing B-17 is an American-made bomber used extensively in World War II. The B-17 Alliance located in Salem hosted the event to provide the public with an opportunity to see World War II vintage aircraft. The B-17 Flying Fortress flew countless combat bombing missions during the war.
The B-17 Alliance is a group of volunteer history buffs that have been working for years to preserve and restore a B-17 in a hangar located there.
The B-17 Flying Fortress has its roots in the Pacific Northwest. Design and production occurred in Seattle starting back in 1935. There were over 12,000 of them built. There are now only three known operational B-17s remaining. The Sentimental Journey is one of the three.
Staff Sgt. William Dunn was born Dec. 25, 1923, in Benton County. He attended high school for three and a half years in Kings Valley but left school early to join the Army Air Corps. He served as a ball turret gunner on a B-17 fortress named “The Chain Gang,” which was part of the 422nd Bomber Squadron, 305th Bomber Group. His plane completed 16 bombing missions over France and Germany during the war.
Shot down on a bombing run over Germany on Aug. 16, 1944, Dunn is honored in the Ardennes American Military Cemetery located in Belgium.
Stories like William Dunn’s are important to keep alive. He was part of the Greatest Generation that helped end World War II 80 years ago.
Sept. 2, 1945 was the most significant date of the 20th century. This was the date when Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepted the unconditional surrender from representatives from Imperial Japan onboard the Battleship Missouri in Tokyo Harbor. Sept. 2, 2025, represents the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Gen. MacArthur said during the event, “It is my earnest hope … that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past.”
Nazi-controlled Germany invaded Poland using Blitzkrieg tactics on Sept. 1, 1939. Sept. 2, 1945, marked the final surrender of Imperial Japan. The war lasted six years and cost over 50 million lives.
After I left the airport, I drove over to the state capitol to view the Oregon World War II Memorial located on the grounds. This is an impressive granite memorial with a 30-foot obelisk. It contains the names of nearly 3,800 Oregonians who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war. William Dunn’s name is there. So are the names of Henry Quetschke and Albert Vandersee from Philomath along with other locals from Benton County. It states that approximately 152,000 Oregonians served in the armed forces during the war.
While I was there, I noticed a new monument called the Spirit of ’45. Installed three weeks ago on Aug. 10, it honors the Greatest Generation.
I reached out to Barbara Jensen, who serves as the executive director of the Spirit of ‘45 Chapter in Oregon. She explained to me that two “sister monuments” were installed on the same day. One sits on the state capitol grounds and the other is located at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland. Their mission is to “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive” through this effort and other similar pillar programs. They also worked to establish rose gardens at every county in Oregon to honor “Rosie the Riveter” and all women who served and helped the war effort on the homefront.
Another interesting program they support is their collaboration with the Lebanon Junior ROTC program that pairs cadets with carrying the pictures of area World War II veterans in the annual Albany Veterans Day Parade. You can learn more about this remarkable organization on the Oregon Spirit of 45 website.
As I drove back home, I reflected on the ways that we “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive” in our area. I will share my reflections here.
The Benton County Veterans Memorial, established back in 1998 on the grounds of the Oregon Army National Guard Armory, sits on Kings Boulevard in Corvallis. Each Memorial Day, members of the board of directors read the 80 names of the county veterans who paid in full measure during World War II. They kept the “Spirit of ’45 Alive.”
Back in 2007, John Mayer was a scout in Troop 161. For his Eagle Scout project, he chose to build a veteran’s memorial at the Philomath Scout Lodge. Over the last 18 years, the Scout Lodge has recognized and honored over 60 area veterans since the program began.
Around the same time, Mayer researched the service of his great uncle, Melvin Post, who served in the U.S. Navy as a seaman first class aboard the USS Reno during World War II.
During his research, John realized that his great uncle had never received all the military awards he was entitled to due to the scarcity of metal during the war and administrative haste to discharge service members after the war. John contacted the Department of Defense, provided the required service records and arranged for the presentation of the awards 66 years after the Pearl Harbor attack. This is a fitting example where John kept the “Spirit of ’45 Alive.”
Melvin Post lived to be 91 and passed away in 2014. In his obituary it reads that “Melvin always was willing to speak of his times at war because he didn’t want people to forget but rather learn from the experiences.”
It is noteworthy that Melvin Post’s wife was Mrs. Ethel Post. Melvin and Ethel were married here in Philomath on March 23, 1945. Melvin was in the Navy when they got married while he was on shore leave. It is remarkable that they “tied the knot” in the middle of a war. They remained married for nearly 70 years.
Ethel lived to be 101 and passed away Aug. 24. As a side note, Ethel’s celebration of life will occur next Saturday, Sept. 6 at Peace Lutheran Church.
This past April, Joe Fulton and a group of other area residents dedicated a plaque honoring the six servicemembers from Kings Valley in their community building. William Dunn’s name is one of the six. This is another notable example to “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive.”
As a newly hired music teacher at Philomath Middle School, Diane Crocker organized a Veterans Day program to remember all veterans from all conflicts. This was a wonderful way to educate impressionable middle school students about what Veterans Day is and why it is important to recognize veterans. She organized a Veterans Day program for 37 years before retiring. She has clearly kept the “Spirit of ’45 Alive” in our community.
I attended a Veteran Memorial baseball game last year and noticed former PHS athletic director, Toni Thomas-Carroll, wearing a set of U.S. Army airborne jump wings on her hat. When I asked her about them, she shared that they belonged to her father, and she wore them to honor him. Her dad served as a paratrooper in both Northern Africa and the Battle of Anzio in Italy. This serves as another solid reflection of keeping the “Spirit of ’45 Alive.”
Each May, the Mount Union Cemetery Association places flags on all the veteran graves at the cemetery. Former Police Chief Richard Raleigh, himself a veteran, did yeoman’s work to create a database along with a map to track where the veterans’ graves are located. I applaud all the volunteers in our area that help preserve this community treasure and remember our veterans by placing flags there. They “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive.”
Many of us have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other extended family members who were members of the Greatest Generation who served in the armed services. They served during a particularly difficult chapter of human history. Be proud of them on this 80th anniversary.
It is now our responsibility to “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive.”
(Eric Niemann is a former mayor and city councilor in Philomath. He can be reached at Lifeinphilomath@gmail.com).