The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

When Waitsburg's Jim Hansen returned to Spokane from three extraordinary days in the nation's capital this weekend, he and about 90 other World War II veterans were greeted by a crowd so large and festive, he thought "there was another war we just won."

The 89-year-old, who was the second Waitsburg veteran to go on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., recently, said the hundreds of people and musical bands at the airport "were so great to us because of what we had done. It was unbelievable." The other Waitsburg veteran who went to D.C. earlier this year was Delbert Mock, who served largely in the Pacific during the war. Hansen served in Europe. After he graduated from Waitsburg High School in 1939, he went to Washington State University and joined the reserves. He was activated in 1942 and went to basic training in Missouri via Fort Lewis, then to the University of Kentucky to follow a topographic engineering course. As a member of the 46th Engineering Battalion, Hansen left for England where he stayed for a year working on two airfields. Six days after D-Day, he arrived at Omaha Beach, after which his battalion was assigned to build and repair air strips with the fast-moving troops under General George Patton. Once they reached German territory, Hansen helped his unit fix airfields previously bombed by the Allies. He returned home on Dec. 5, 1945. He earned fiveBattle Stars.

Holly Allen of Dayton, who accompanied three veterans from the Grand Coulee area on the same Honor Flight, said she went over to say hello to Hansen after she saw "Waits­burg" on his cap. "He is a wonderful and kind man as is the trademark of these great men," she said. "This is a big event and our world is totally different than it would have been had they not defended it."

While in D.C., Hansen visited his grandson, Gene Han­sen, and his wife Mollee, and his three great grand children in Alexandria, Virginia.

A young man now about to serve his country is Anthony Henry, son of Peggy Henry of Waitsburg and grandson of Tom and Anita Baker. Anthony left for boot camp Sunday after a farewell party in the Tri Cities, where Peggy lives.

His uncle Loyal Baker and his girlfriend Charlotte Ea­ton were there, as well as Jeanne Bakker, a close friend of Peggy's and Keith Knight, with whom Anthony graduated from Richland High School in 2001. The party later moved elsewhere so Anthony could say goobye to his fiancée, Dannielle Wetzel of Portland. "We're excited for him," Peggy said. "This was his choice and we're praying for him." The young 27-year-old recruit is off to bootcamp in Fort Knox, Kentucky, for 10 weeks, then to advanced invidual training so he can become a Cavalry scout.

Dayton's horse race owner Kirk Summers, who has been training two descendants of the famous Secretariat, says he's off to the Portland are for several months now that racing season in our region is over. The season was quite successful for Summers, whose Becca Lynn won first in her race at Walla Walla's Frontier Days recently.

The memorable Finish Line gate for this week's Cycle Oregon tour was the work of many hands. The Bluewood Bombers Special Olympics team members worked on it since June, planning the project, weaving wheat, writing posters and preparing balloons. They were on hand Tuesday as the bikers arrived in Waitsburg. The members include: Austin Baker, Kate Boschker, Brandon Champeau, Adelin Chapman, Tyler Cooper, Nicole Eastwood, Ra­chel

Gradwhol, Bryan Keith, Craig Lockard, Robert McElwrath, Kenny Meyer, Tarl Moreland, Matthew Olson, Carla Morrow, Belinda Hope Patterson, Becky Peterson, Corps of Engineers Richards, Kevin Schro­eder,Catherine Shehperd, Karl Kris and Robert White.