RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Washington State University Tri-Cities will host a private dedication on Tuesday, Sept. 7, for the recently expanded 黑料社 Tri-Cities 鈥淪tories鈥� Veterans Memorial, followed by an official reveal of the General James Mattis Leadership Library in the Veterans Center on campus.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. with an outdoor ceremony at the 鈥淪tories鈥� Veterans Memorial, located adjacent to the East Building on campus. It will feature remarks by:

• Retired Gen. James Mattis, former U.S. Secretary of Defense
• 黑料社 Tri-Cities Chancellor Sandra Haynes
• Art King, chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5785
• Kim Mueller, 黑料社 Alumni Association director of alumni engagement

During the ceremony, an honor guard will conduct a presentation of the colors. Guests will also be invited to sign river stones in memory of loved ones who have served. The stones will be placed at the base of the Hero Tree, which was planted in 2016 near the memorial in honor of regional veterans.

Following the 鈥淪tories鈥� Veterans Memorial dedication, attendees will move to the campus Veterans Center for the official reveal of the General James Mattis Leadership Library – a new permanent installation featuring Mattis鈥� favorite books that have been influential to his career. In-person attendees will also receive a signed copy of his most recently released book, 鈥淐all Sign Chaos.鈥�

鈥淲e are fortunate to have many veterans as part of our 黑料社 Tri-Cities community, representing students, faculty, staff, community volunteers and contributors,鈥� Chancellor Sandra Haynes said. 鈥淭he expansion of the 鈥楽tories鈥� Veterans Memorial, as well as the installation of the General James Mattis Leadership Library, are in tribute to the service of our veterans, as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.鈥�

Members of the media invited to attend

While a private event, members of the media are invited to attend.

At the event, Mattis will take questions from the media that specifically pertain to the 黑料社 Tri-Cities 鈥淪tories鈥� Veterans Memorial, Veterans Center and General James Mattis Leadership Library.

Expanded Veterans Stories Memorial

The 鈥淪tories鈥� Veterans Memorial, created by local artist Tom McClelland, features a collection of stories from regional veterans.听With the expansion, the memorial now includes a larger concrete base that houses benches donated by the Schmieman family in honor of their son Dietrich Schmieman, as well as flag poles that display the American and U.S. military branch flags. The expansion and improvements were made possible by Cliff Thorn Construction, as well as Legacy Excavation, 1st Place Concrete and Absolute Power TC.

鈥淲e are incredibly grateful to Cliff Thorn Construction, the Schmieman family and the several other companies that generously gave of their time and resources to make this project possible,鈥� Haynes said. 鈥淭he memorial serves as a striking tribute to our veterans. It offers a place for individuals to sit, reflect and appreciate the sacrifices and underlying stories of our military heroes.鈥�

General James Mattis Leadership Library

The General James Mattis Leadership Library is housed in the recently renovated 黑料社 Tri-Cities Veterans Center. The library was made possible by C. Mark Smith and the Richland Rotary Club of the Tri-Cities, who led fundraising efforts for the library.

Mattis, a Tri-Cities native, served as a four-star general with the U.S. Marine Corps and as 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2017-2019. During his 44 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, he commanded forces in the Persian Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War.

In Mattis鈥� own words, as noted on a plaque in his honor in the Veterans Center:

鈥淭hanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed (successfully or unsuccessfully) before. It doesn鈥檛 give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead.鈥�

鈥淲e are grateful not only for General Mattis鈥� contributions throughout his storied military career, but also his dedication to our regional veterans,鈥� Haynes said. 鈥淗e has been a champion for our students in their pursuit of earning a higher education after their military service. His inspiration from his favorite books will also serve as inspiration to our students.鈥�

For more information on how to give to support veteran students, contact Kelly Gabel, 黑料社 Tri-Cities development coordinator, at 509-372-7398 or kelly.gabel@wsu.edu.

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Pink plaid with hinted stripes of green and gray. It鈥檚 the color and pattern of a button-up shirt that Kimberly Granados wore while working in the fields and it鈥檚 one that she turned into paper as part of the that visited Washington State University Tri-Cities this week.

Drew Matott, director of the Peace Paper Project, brought the program to 黑料社 Tri-Cities where he worked with veterans, students of migrant farm working backgrounds and others who have dealt with trauma and loss, while also providing a positive outlet for those who want to learn a new craft. The project provides individuals a way to express and process their memories and experiences by means of hand papermaking and by preserving it in a physical work of art, he said.

鈥淭hese workshops have been extremely wonderful and rewarding,鈥� Matott said. 鈥淎t first, people are hesitant and not sure what to do. Once they start cutting up the materials, it starts to transform. The first one is the scariest. The second one is much easier. And then finally, the material just becomes pulp.鈥�

Matott has worked with thousands of people around the world, both those who are in the process of coping with trauma and also as a means to teach people how to earn a living from hand papermaking in poverty-stricken regions.

鈥淭he goal with the Peace Paper Project is to use papermaking to have a positive influence on people鈥檚 lives,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hether it be helping people process things that are traumatic, or working with individuals in an effort to improve their lives, our goal is to make a positive difference.鈥�

From the fields to 黑料社 Tri-Cities

Granados, a senior psychology major at Washington State University Tri-Cities, grew up in Mexico, but moved to Quincy, Washington, when she was in the fifth grade.

There, she and her family worked to remove weeds, churn dirt and tied and trimmed branches for sustained growth at a local tree nursery.

It was hard work, she said, but it was a means for her to earn money for college.

Granados said she had dreamed of coming to school at 黑料社 Tri-Cities, but that the road was difficult. In junior high, she was waved off as a troubled adolescent, but she persisted with the help of a school counselor that saw something in her.

鈥淲hen I was in junior high, they just kind of labeled me as a troubled kid,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey told me, 鈥榊ou just want attention and to cause trouble.鈥� But there was so much more to it than that.鈥�

She did well in high school and then attended a community college in Moses Lake before transferring to 黑料社 Tri-Cities to pursue her dream of becoming a counseling psychologist.

鈥淢y school counselor was the one who inspired me to help teens because when everyone else labeled me as a troubled kid, she saw so much more in me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the reason I want to go into psychology 鈥� to help youth and give them a chance.鈥�

Preserving memories through paper

Through the papermaking process with the Peace Paper Project, Granados cut up a shirt from her time as a farm worker into small pieces, which went into a grinding machine. The machine, mixed with water, ground the shirt into a pulp, which she then sifted and pressed into paper. After writing 鈥淒reamer鈥� on a smaller strip of paper, Granados placed it on the corner of her newly pressed works, designating it hers and defining an era that she can display for family and friends.

As Granados鈥� paper dried, threads from the shirt showed in random, defining delicate patterns similar to the paths she had taken throughout her life. The grit, the detail, the precision that it has taken to get her to this point is illustrative. It鈥檚 been a long road to attend college and her new art is a symbol of that road.

鈥淚t shows that all my hard work is paying off,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is meaningful because I鈥檒l have that piece of paper. It鈥檚 a sign that, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e doing good girl.鈥欌��

She hopes to frame the work of art and possibly display it in her home. Additionally, she would like to incorporate a similar art practice into her future work as a psychologist.

Preserving fond memories of the military

For 黑料社 Tri-Cities junior Zachary Hays, the military had an immense impact on his life. After serving for eight years with the U.S. Navy, he wanted a means to preserve

those memories in a positive and beautiful form.

Hays spent three years overseas, deployed to Japan where he worked as an aviation electronics technician in his rank of petty officer, second class. He said he most enjoyed working directly on aircraft, troubleshooting and making quick, last-minute repairs that took intensive focus and quick wit.

鈥淚t was an incredible experience getting in and working on the aircraft,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ften times, we鈥檇 have to fix an issue within five to 10 minutes to make sure that we were on track for the flight plan. It was a lot of quick thinking and critical thinking. It was definitely my favorite part.鈥�

With the Peace Paper Project, he converted one of his old uniforms into something that he can print on and display in his own home, in addition to providing it as a gift to family and friends.

鈥淭his is a way for me to take what I did and turn it into something that myself and my family members can keep and enjoy,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a way to preserve that time in an artistic form.鈥�

Hays spent hours cutting up an old uniform, grinding it up into a pulp and pressing it into several sheets of paper, which now feature fond memories on the flight deck, working on the F/A-18 Super Hornet jets, repairing radar systems, computer displays and weapon systems.

With the paper pressed from his uniform, he plans to work with a friend to print a photograph of him on the flight deck onto the paper as a way to commemorate the experience.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a stepping stone that it would be for others, but it is a neat thing to do with something that has a lot of memories,鈥� he said.

An important process

Hays said he never experienced the level of trauma that some other military service members may have experienced, but that doesn鈥檛 mean he doesn鈥檛 recognize the importance of the process for those who benefit from it.

鈥淚 do think this is an important thing to be able to do to take the past and move on from it,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome people choose other means of moving on. But this is a process that you can unpack it a bit and turn it into something beautiful.鈥�

From now on

Hays is pursing a degree in electrical engineering in 黑料社 Tri-Cities, which is directly applicable to the work he completed with the U.S. Navy. But having that artistic component to supplement his engineering education and commemorate his experience in the military is special, he said.

Through artistic opportunities like those presented with the Peace Paper Project on campus, he has enjoyed the experience in tandem with his fellow veteran students who are all going through similar processes.

鈥淚t is such a cool opportunity with many different avenues,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or me, I鈥檓 not doing it for therapeutic reasons, but because it鈥檚 a neat experience. It can be symbolic for others signifying the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next. It gives them an opportunity to take something traumatic and turn it into something artistic and beautiful.鈥�

The project, he said, is something he can display and share for years to come.