By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities unveiled an expanded “Stories” Veterans Memorial and dedication of the new General James Mattis Leadership Library, now located in the campus Veterans Center, as part of a special tribute ceremony this month. The event welcomed an assortment of distinguished guests, including that of retired Gen. James Mattis, former U.S. Secretary of Defense.

“This memorial refresh is many years in the making and represents two key attributes of this campus – inclusivity and respect,” Chancellor Sandra Haynes said.

She said veterans have a large impact on the campus, as well as their fellow ���سԹ� students. The expansion of the Stories Veterans Memorial and establishment of the General James Mattis Leadership Library, she said, is a special tribute to them and their service.

“Veterans enter the classroom with leadership skills,” Haynes said. “They have a strong work ethic that centers on team building and problem solving. Veterans are self-motivated and have a global perspective that informs the learning of other students … ���سԹ� is proud to be able to serve them.”

“Stories” Veterans Memorial

The “Stories” Veterans Memorial, created by local artist Tom McClelland, features a collection of stories from regional veterans.��With the expansion, the memorial now includes a larger concrete base that houses benches donated by the Schmieman family in honor of their late son Sgt. 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.

As part of the unveiling of the Stories Veterans Memorial, Mattis and other invited guests presented on the importance of the memorial, paying tribute to regional veterans who bravely gave of their lives, as well as all those who have and continued to serve.

“For me to be here, frankly, back in my hometown and recognizing veterans, is because I owe them so much,” Mattis said as part of his remarks. “I have a debt that I owe that I can never fully repay. We all owe them a debt for the freedom we are enjoying right now.”

Mattis said the fact that the memorial is located on the ���سԹ� campus is especially important.

“At ���سԹ�, it reminds us of our relevance for the forward-looking community,” he said. “As one that wants to sustain growth in the quality of life, it’s got to provide educational opportunities – that’s the way of the world and has been, forever. Plus, there’s the traditional role of our colleges, which is long-standing in our democracy to breed good citizens.”

As part of his remarks, Art King, chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5785, paid tribute to five military veterans, one of which one included Sgt. Schmieman, who died alongside fellow service men and women when their cargo plane crashed in Mississippi.

“Dietrich was remembered for doing the right things with joy, treating all people fairly with love, kindness and a smile, helping encouraging others and giving his best,” King said. “Dietrich was a gifted young man with lots of choices in life, and he chose to serve his nation.”

A rock displaying a quote from Schmieman is now located alongside the Hero Tree on campus, which is planted next to the Stories Veterans Memorial.

King said the expansion of the memorial at ���سԹ� reinforces the university’s commitment to its regional veterans.

“���سԹ� takes great pride in the veterans of this community,” King said. “The support goes across several administrations and continues with Chancellor Haynes. This whole ceremony is a reflection of the support.”

The “Stories” Veterans Memorial is located along the Columbia River path on the ���سԹ� campus, where individuals may stop and reflect. Individuals are also invited to sign a stone in honor of a loved one who served and place it at the base of the Hero Tree – planted next to the memorial.

General James Mattis Leadership Library

Following the unveiling of the memorial, guests headed to the unveiling of the General James Mattis Leadership Library now located in the ���سԹ� Veterans Center. The library features a collection of Mattis’ favorite books that have been influential throughout his career. 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.

“The epitome of leading lies in serving others, and that is what those books are about – is serving others. Or, in young Sgt. Dietrich’s words, ‘To make the lives of others better,’ ”Mattis said as part of his remarks. “Here in this library are the many folks that have guided me in the good times and bad … These books can take away a lot of sophomoric mistakes. You can learn how other people dealt, successfully or unsuccessfully, and how men and women confronted the same basic challenges that we confront and how they dealt with those.”

���سԹ� alumnus Benjamin Bush spoke on the significance of now having the General James Mattis Leadership Library located in the Veterans Center, as well as what such a center means for ���سԹ� veteran students.

“I can’t express to you guys enough just how much this space means to us,” he said.

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

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – A seemingly unlikely partnership between Washington State University Tri-Cities and a local brewing company has led to a range of support for student veterans.

Last year, Bernadette Gagnier, ���سԹ� wine science student representing the university’s Patriot’s Club, which comprises largely student veterans, approached to see if they would be willing to work with the club to produce a beer that would highlight veterans and their service. The company partnered with the student group to produce an India pale ale that is dedicated to those who have served, naming it GIPA.

The ���سԹ� student veterans participated actively in the beer brewing process, preparing the brew, adding the hops and stirring and preparing the mixture. Upon release, the beer was incredibly well received. The seven barrels, or 210 gallons, of the GIPA sold out within two weeks of production. The company also sold shirts as a tribute to the special brew.

“It’s great to be able to contribute back to this population of individuals who have

given so much of themselves,” said Mike Hopp, owner and brewer at Bombing Range Brewing Company. “It’s been a great partnership and a great collaboration of people.

Last May, Richland Rotary presented a growler and shirt with the branding of the GIPA to former U.S. Secretary of the Defense James Mattis, a former Tri-Citian, on behalf of the student veterans at ���سԹ� during the Tri-Citian of the Year awards presentation. The effort proved to be one of the greatest moments of Gagnier’s life, who was in attendance at the event.

“I didn’t know they were going to present that in front of everyone and I just started crying,” Gagnier said. “It was such an honor to present that to General Mattis.”

Giving back to veteran students

As a result of the partnership, Bombing Range has donated more than $1,000 to the ���سԹ� Veterans Center that contributes to services support for student veterans at the university. The group now plans to continue the partnership for the foreseeable future, with brewing opportunities to take place twice a year. The company also plans to continue to donate funds to the student veteran organization each year.

Hopp said he and his son, assistant brewer and manager Ryan Young, thoroughly enjoyed the partnership with the ���سԹ� veteran organizations.

“It’s been fun,” Hopp said. “We’ve had the chance to work with good, quality people and we’ve had to opportunity to give back in the process.

Hopp said they have known WSU Wine Science Director Thomas Henick-Kling for some time and have wanted to collaborate with ���سԹ� in some way, and also have wanted to do a beer dedicated specifically to veterans and first-responders for a while. Being able to work with student veterans, he said, has been extra special.

“We not only want to keep this partnership going, we would like for it to get bigger and have even more involvement,” he said. “We would like to get the community involved and grow this thing to be bigger each year.”

Learning opportunity mixed with stress reliever

Gagnier initially approached the brewery about working with the Patriot’s Club thinking that it would not only provide a great bonding opportunity for the student veterans, but would also allow them to learn a new skill. The match proved to be a perfect fit.

Being a viticulture and enology student, Gagnier said there are a variety of methods and skills she saw and demonstrated through the brewing process that were either similar or could possibly be replicated in winemaking as a trial or the same process.

“Whether it be certain devices used in the brewing process or brewing times at certain temperatures or pressures, it was cool to see some of the things I’ve learned about wine science that are also applied to brewing,” she said. “It’s also just cool seeing a faster process. You get your product in a few weeks compared to one wine in a year period.”

For other non-wine science majors, the opportunity provided a great stress reliever among their mix of classes during the school year.

Zachary Hays, a senior engineering major, said he and his fellow student veterans enjoy the leisure of the activity, learning a new skill, as well as contributing to a local business.

“Seeing and participating in the process and then seeing the final product and the impact that it can have both on the Bombing Range and for ���سԹ� student veteran has been great,” he said. “It’s been a fun experience.”

Stay tuned for a new student veteran-made beer

The student veterans teamed up with Bombing Range Brewing Company again this winter to produce another brew – this time a Lou Dog Red Ale. This

spring, the duo will work once again to produce their second round of their GIPA.

The group will get together in March to produce the beer and then will have a release party, which is open to the general public, on April 13. The time of the event will be announced soon.

Gagnier said she is excited for the partnership to continue.

“This is something that both parties involved want to see kept going because it has made a difference,” she said. “We’re excited about the future of this partnership and to see it keep going for years to come.”

“We have a lot of vets and first responders come through, especially with the connection of the brewery to military equipment used in World War II,” Hopp said. “It’s great to now be able to contribute something back to these individuals.”

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Pink plaid with hinted stripes of green and gray. It’s the color and pattern of a button-up shirt that Kimberly Granados wore while working in the fields and it’s 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 ���سԹ� 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.

“These workshops have been extremely wonderful and rewarding,” Matott said. “At 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.”

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.

“The goal with the Peace Paper Project is to use papermaking to have a positive influence on people’s lives,” he said. “Whether 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.”

From the fields to ���سԹ�

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 ���سԹ�, 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.

“When I was in junior high, they just kind of labeled me as a troubled kid,” she said. “They told me, ‘You just want attention and to cause trouble.’ But there was so much more to it than that.”

She did well in high school and then attended a community college in Moses Lake before transferring to ���سԹ� to pursue her dream of becoming a counseling psychologist.

“My 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,” she said. “It’s the reason I want to go into psychology – to help youth and give them a chance.”

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 “Dreamer” 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’ 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’s been a long road to attend college and her new art is a symbol of that road.

“It shows that all my hard work is paying off,” she said. “It is meaningful because I’ll have that piece of paper. It’s a sign that, ‘You’re doing good girl.’”

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 ���سԹ� 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.

“It was an incredible experience getting in and working on the aircraft,” he said. “Often times, we’d 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.”

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.

“This 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,” he said. “It’s a way to preserve that time in an artistic form.”

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.

“It’s 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,” 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’t mean he doesn’t recognize the importance of the process for those who benefit from it.

“I do think this is an important thing to be able to do to take the past and move on from it,” he said. “Some 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.”

From now on

Hays is pursing a degree in electrical engineering in ���سԹ�, 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.

“It is such a cool opportunity with many different avenues,” he said. “For me, I’m not doing it for therapeutic reasons, but because it’s 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.”

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

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – A master papermaker will join the Washington State University Tri-Cities community Oct. 15-18 to offer workshops and a public lecture in the therapeutic art of hand papermaking as part of what is known as the “Peace Paper Project.”

The Peace Paper Project is an international organization of hand papermakers, art therapists, social activists and fine artists. The organization uses hand papermaking across the globe to improve the lives of survivors of trauma and loss through the traditional practice of hand papermaking.

Master papermaker Drew Matott will hold a public lecture from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in the Floyd Atrium on the art of hand papermaking and the goals of his Peace Paper Project. There is no cost to attend.

Matott will also lead several free workshops and sessions with the following student and campus groups during the week:

• Veteran students will recycle their old uniforms into paper from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15 in the Student Union Building
• Members of the Dreamers and MEChA clubs will recycle migrant farming clothing and other fabric-based items into paper from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15, in the Student Union Building
• International students and their cultural learning partners will make paper together on Tuesday, Oct. 16, from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• The community is invited to bring their own fabric to make paper from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 16-18, in the Student Union Building
• Matott will also work with a variety of classes and other student groups at various times throughout the four days as a means to show how the traditional art of hand papermaking is accomplished and is used as a therapeutic practice
  

  The Peace Paper Project often works with military veterans to hand-make paper out of old uniforms as a therapeutic process.

“We are very excited to have the Peace Paper Project on campus,, especially as it provides a creative avenue for our students to learn resiliency as they cope with change,” said Jana Kay Lunstad, director of enrollment and campus registrar. “Art has the power to heal. Our hope is that our students will connect with a practice that allows them to share their stories with their families, friends and other individuals dealing with difficult loss and trauma.”

Since 2011, the Peace Paper Project has set up more than 40 collaborating studios worldwide and has made paper with more than 30,000 survivors.

For more information on the Peace Paper Project, visit .