USS Olympia
What does it mean to serve for others? In many cases the sacrifice is death. Come November 11, we will see the celebration of the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located in the National Cemetery, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
In 1921 this monument commemorated the American armed forces who fought in the Great War, the "war to end all wars." My uncle, Thomas Darrah, and my grandfather, James L. Frink, both survived combat in the trenches as soldiers in France in 1918.
On October 24, 1921, the American Legion assisted in escorting the Unknown Soldier from the selection site in Chalons-en-Champagne to Paris. The American Legion remained with the US Army Honor Guard through the night and during the next day when, at the Port of Le Havre, the Unknown Soldier was transferred aboard the USS Olympia for its final journey home.
The USS Olympia was a protected cruiser that saw service in the US Navy from 1895 to 1922. By 1921, the USS Olympia was already famous, as she had served as the flagship of Commodore George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War in 1898.
When you visit the Willapa Seaport Museum, be sure to see the USS Olympia model and souvenir propulsion parts from the actual famous vessel. And if you'd like to step aboard the USS Olympia, she floats today on the Schuylkill River, in Philadelphia, PA.
Next November at 11:00 a.m. you can participate in the Centennial of the Unknown Soldier by striking a bell 21 times, followed by a moment of silence; much like how things went during the internment of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 1921.