Dozens gather in Capitol Rotunda to remember those who died in service

Dozens of people gathered in the Capitol Rotunda on Memorial Day to remember those who died in America’s conflicts.

The gathering, an annual tradition, included moments of music, of reflection, of honor and of speeches shared by veterans and other officials.

But after the hourlong ceremony was over, two veterans, both of whom live in Olympia, shared their stories about serving in the Vietnam War.

Ed McElhiney, originally from Boston, but who has lived in Olympia since the mid-1970s, served in Vietnam for two years with the Marines.

“I saw a lot of guys die who aren’t here anymore,” he said. “It’s a duty to be here.”

What does he think about on Memorial Day?

“To be honest, I think of all the people who were killed, and that expands to those dying today because of the policies this country follows,” McElhiney said. “It seems like we’re in a never-ending cycle of war and the grief that comes with it, and it’s not just those who experience it first-hand, but also those who lose loved ones.”

McElhiney plans to attend next year’s ceremony, too. “I’ll keep coming until I can’t come anymore,” he said.

Tom Fell was in the Navy during Vietnam, but was assigned to the Marines as a battalion surgeon and doctor in a M.A.S.H. unit.

Asked about his memories, Fell was slow to respond as the moment became too emotional.

“The Marines who came into that M.A.S.H. unit with massive injuries,” he finally said. “The Corpsman I lost when I was a battalion surgeon.”

After the war, Fell was an anesthesiologist for 35 years at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.

Fell, too, comes every year to the Rotunda ceremony to “remember those guys who gave it all.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2018 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Dozens gather in Capitol Rotunda to remember those who died in service."