Puyallup's Memorial Day Ceremony is a time-honored tradition, rooted in local pride.
On Monday, May 27, 2013, hundreds gathered at Puyallup's Pioneer Park Pavilion to celebrate military, past and present.
The day's honored guest was Edward J. Saylor, LtCol, USAF, Retired B-25 Crewmember, who was one of the last four living members of the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan in World War II.
Saylor and crew members were awarded The Distinguished Flying Cross for their extraordinary heroism. Others also received decorations for courageous acts committed while evading capture.
President Roosevelt awarded Doolittle the Medal of Honor. Doolittle went on to lead bomber forces against the Nazis in Europe and reached the rank of major general.
All the crews knew it would be a one-way mission and that the odds were stacked against surviving. None of the aircraft reached their planned destination. Of the 80 airman on the raid, 11 were captured and three of these were executed. Saylor and his crew crash landed on a Chinese coastal island and evaded Japanese troops for over 100 miles to reach safety. His story and actions surrounding the raid are legendary. The Doolittle Raid had a profound effect on Japanese war plans and boosted the morale and resolve of America as “pay-back” for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
In addition, State Senator Bruce Dammeier was the day's featured speaker. The program included music by the Clan Gordon Pipe Band, Tapestry Singers, colorful memorial presentations by high school junior ROTC units, and the traditional presentations of wreaths for the park memorial with rifle salute and playing of “Taps.”
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