Blaine students honored as Vietnam Memorial restored

By reporter Steven Smalley

The Ballard post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Seattle?s Quiring Monuments teamed up to refurbish the Vietnam War Memorial located adjacent to Catharine Blaine School. Culminating in a small ceremony attended by family members and the public Saturday morning, the names of nine Blaine Jr. High students killed in the war, carved into a ground-level marker, were saluted. The reconditioning of the inscriptions was made possible by the craftsmanship and contribution of Quiring, and ultimate funding by the VFW.
Harold Rodenberger, post quartermaster (manager) of the Ballard VFW answered the call to help finance the endeavor.
?We got a note at the post saying the monument had been deteriorating over the years. The letters needed to be professionally re-whited,? he said. ?I feel respect and honor that we can remember those veterans who paid the ultimate price for our country.??The company that took on the mission to accomplish the actual refurbishing of the memorial, Quiring Monuments, is led by its president, David Quiring.
?It?s an honor to create a place where people can fully grieve,? he said. ?When I was in the military, I worked in the operating rooms where our wounded men were brought. I was one of the lucky ones. I feel like I owe those people an awful lot.?

The monument, originally installed in 1970 near the front door of the school, was refurbished as an Eagle Scout project in 2000. It memorializes nine names of Blaine students killed in action in Vietnam, including the recipient of the Medal of Honor, the nation?s highest decoration for bravery in combat. The story is not well known today.

Army second lieutenant and Magnolia resident Robert R. Leisy unselfishly gave his life to save members of his platoon while leading them on a mission in South Vietnam. His citation reads: ??He spotted an enemy sniper in a tree in the act of firing a rocket-propelled grenade at them. Realizing there was neither time to escape the grenade nor shout a warning, 2nd Lt. Leisy unhesitatingly, and with full knowledge of the consequences, shielded the radio operator with his body and absorbed the full impact of the explosion.? After continuing to direct his men toward the enemy, and refusing medical attention so other wounded could receive treatment, Lt. Leisy succumbed to his injuries and perished.
The Medal of Honor was posthumously awarded to Lt. Leisy by Vice President Spiro Agnew on December 16, 1971.
Robert Leisy grew up in Magnolia on 37th Avenue West with his parents. He attended Briarcliff Elementary School and Catharine Blaine Junior High before graduating Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington.
On the UW campus, Leisy is one of eight service members recognized on the Medal of Honor Monument.
Last week, as the date of the flag ceremony approached, a clean up party was held to tidy the landscaping around the memorial. Elizabeth Servey, from Magnolia?s American Legion Post, along with her two Cub Scout sons, Andrew and James and others from the VFW, contributed their labor toward the effort.

When Saturday?s formal service took place ? with touching remarks by William Griffith, VFW chaplain ? it left a few spectators in tears.
?It makes me feel sad about these boys,? revealed Sissel Peterson, the aunt of Rolf Jorgensen, one of the boys honored on the monument. ?He was such a sweet boy. A perfect young man. It was such a shocker when we heard that he was killed. But it?s nice that they are remembered, that?s the main thing now.?
At the end of the ceremony, participants and attendees spoke of their feelings about the memorial.
?I?m so happy these boys are being remembered,? reveals Nancy Hiraoka, cousin of Rolf Jorgensen. ?It wasn?t like World War II. It was a different era. For them to be remembered all these years later is important for our country and our family. There?s a hole in our heart. We miss Rolf. We miss him every day.?

The following boys who attended Blaine Jr. High and died in Vietnam in service to their country are remembered:

Robert R. Leisy, 2ndLt U.S. Army
Rolf W. Jorgensen, LCpl, U.S. Marines
George M. Hightower, Sgt., U.S. Army
John L. Stewart, PFC, U.S. Army
Donald K. McNeil, W.O., U.S. Army
John S. Kraabel, LCpl, U.S. Marines
Christopher J. Gray, Sgt, U.S. Army
Garrett E. Eddy, 1stLt., U.S. Air Force
Eric G. Herold, Capt., U.S. Army