May. 27, 2022
Memorial Day Message from President Wohlpart
Dear Campus Community,
Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to honor the men and women who have given their lives in defense of our country. Here at Central Washington University, we stand together in remembrance of all United States military members who have died in service of this great nation.
All of the courageous individuals who have sacrificed their lives for our country deserve to be remembered individually for their bravery. But today is also a time to pay specific tribute to the sacrifices made by our fellow Wildcats.
The CWU students, faculty, and staff we commemorate today include brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, and friends — all of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. To each, we offer our most sincere and humble appreciation as we recognize their strength, courage, and dignity in the defense of liberty — not just today but every day.
Central remembers these heroes in memorials in Barge Hall and Lind Hall, along with two Chairs of Honor that commemorate prisoners of war and those missing in action. A number of CWU residence halls also bear the names of other heroes. Memorial Day is about keeping alive the legacies of those we have lost, including Central alumni like Douglas Munro, who died heroically during World War II while saving the lives of 500 Marines in Guadalcanal in 1942.
We also recall the bravery of Cortland Carmody, who lost his life in 1944 while flying a P-38J Lightning over France; Clifton Alford, killed in action in 1944 on a bombing run over France when his B-17 was struck by an anti-aircraft shell; and Hamilton “Ham” Montgomery, an Army Air Corps pilot during World War II who was killed when his plane crashed on the China-India-Burma front in 1945.
Another CWU alumnus deserving of our praise is San DeWayne Francisco, who served as a pilot during the Vietnam War and was shot down on a reconnaissance mission in 1968. More recently, we remember the service of Staff Sgt. Bryan Christopher Black, a 2002 Central alumnus who was killed in action in 2017 while serving as a medical sergeant in Niger.
Please join me today in taking a moment to remember all who have died in service of our country and to thank them for what they have sacrificed on our behalf.
Sincerely,
Jim Wohlpart
CWU President