On May 17, 2014, the Garden Home History Project hosted a celebration of Armed Forces Day at the Garden Home Recreation Center. The event included a formal color guard presentation by the Aloha American Legion Post, introductions of attending veterans by branch of service, interviews and photographing of the veterans, and a presentation slide show about a 1944 Garden Home crash of a P-63 Kingcobra fighter plane.

Click here to read the stories we collected from the attending veterans.

Al Azar (veteran)

Aloha American Legion Post color guard

Alta Hansen speaking

Alta Hansen

Alta Hansen, Tom Shreve and Elaine Shreve presenting

Alta Hansen recalling witnessing the 1944 plane crash

Aloha American Legion Post color guard presenting the colors

Andy Shreve and son Ben in foreground

Sharon and Bob Cram

Alta Hansen recalls witnessing the 1944 plane crash

Alta Hansen recalls witnessing the 1944 plane crash

Babbit, Pinniger, Shreve, Pacella

Dr. Ben Jones (veteran)

Bert Campbell (veteran)

Bert Campbell, Don Feller and Elaine Shreve

Bill Shield, Terry Delashan, Bill Bennett and Gene Gordon from the Aloha American Legion Post color guard

Bob Cram (veteran)

Bob Day (veteran)

Bob Feldman (veteran)

Bob and Jacqui Bothman, Bob Day

Bob Feldman and Gene Shirley

Boy Scouts volunteered their help!

Aloha American Legion Post presenting the colors

Dean Day (veteran)

Don Dunbar (veteran and former prinicpal of Garden Home elementary school)

Don Feller discussion

Dr. Ben Jones (veteran)

Early Garden Home

Elaine forgetting to introduce the Marines

Elaine Shreve and Jan Pinniger

Ernie Karlson (veteran)

Garden Home 1944 Plane Crash

Garden Home School Days

Garden Home vets

Garden Home Vets, early wars

Garden Home 1900-1920

Gene Shirley speaking

Gene Shirley, USMC veteran, one of the Chosin Few.

Gene Shirley (veteran)

George Babbitt (veteran)

Gerry Frank, Sig Unander listen to Elaine Shreve

Gerry Frank (veteran)

Gerry Frank and Bob Day

Gerry Frank, Gene Shirley and Bob Day

Don Dunbar in foreground

Hal Pallay (veteran)

Harry Pinniger (veteran)

Gerry Frank in foreground

Lee Reding (veteran)

Louann Alta and old friends

Mildred Stevens

Mildred Stevens, Charleen Oberts and Andy McKiernan

Paul Vanture (veteran)

Sharon Cram, Bob Cram Virginia Vanture and Paul Vanture

Sig Unander in black

Tom Shreve presenting slide show

Elaine Shreve and son, Tom

Sue Friedman and Sharon Cram

Susan Houseman and Virginia Vanture

Tom Shreve and Stan Houseman

Slide show presentation

Valley Times article about Lt. Robert Strong, pilot of P-63 Kingcobra that crashed in Garden Home in 1944

Virginia and Paul Vanture and Bert Campbell

Virginia Vanture and color guard

Virginia Vanture and Aloha American Legion Post color guard