Photo By John Hughel | An Oregon Army National Guard Color Guard presents the colors during the national...... read more read more
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The Columbia Development Authority and the Oregon Military Department hosted a memorial service on March 21, 2024 to observe the 80th Anniversary of the 1944 munitions explosion at the former Umatilla Army Ordnance Depot, which claimed the lives of six workers.
Oregon State Rep. Greg Smith, representing the Columbia Development Authority, spoke to those who gathered to pay tribute to the six people who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
“The cause of the explosion has never been determined, however what we do know is that six civilians lost their lives that day,” Smith said. “It is important that we recognize the men and women who sacrificed for each and every one of us.”
The accidental explosion occurred at 9:21 p.m., on March 21, 1944 inside one of the 1,002 storage igloos — instantly killing Harry D. Sever, Hiram Cook, Kenneth L. Fraser, William Sanders, Alice Wolgamott, and Lance Stultz.
Following Smith’s remarks, a tribal prayer was offered by Raymond Huesties of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, recalling the special significance of the area of the explosion.
“This place is in our ceded territory. Our people utilized it for a millennium prior to European settlements. It is important to let people know we, the tribe, are still here and we still practice our way of life the best we can in this modern time,” Huesties said. “All these places are important to our way of life, and we’re glad to be acknowledged as a part of the process for the future to preserve and protect places like this one.”
After the tribal blessing, Oregon National Guard Chaplain (Col.) Jacob Scott offered a prayer to those gathered at the memorial site in front of the still visible crater left 80 years ago.
“On this spring day we pause to remember and honor the service to our nation the six people who perished in the igloo explosion on this spot eighty years ago today,” Scott said. “They were part of a massive effort to defend America and the world against tyranny.”
Oregon National Guard serviced members took part in the ceremony with an honor guard unit presenting the colors with music presented for the national anthem, as taps were played as a wreath was posted on a white cross by Robert Daniel of the Hermiston American Legion Post 37 at the former site of igloo B-1014.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Oregon Military Department Wildland Fire led a procession back to the Rees Training Center to the Explosion Site Memorial Plaque for a moment of silence, led by Chaplain Scott.
As the United States prepared for World War II, the U.S. Army began building a military munitions and supply depot on twenty thousand acres of land located on Umatilla and Morrow counties near Hermiston, Oregon in 1940. The Umatilla Army Ordnance Depot was designated a military reservation when it officially opened on October 14, 1941. The site was selected because it was safe from attacks by sea, as well as the proximity to established railroad lines and a port location on the Columbia River. During the height of WWII, the depot employed over 2,000 workers.
The depot was later renamed the U.S. Army Umatilla Chemical Depot — with nearly 12 percent of the nation’s chemical munitions stored at the site. By 1988 the Base Realignment and Closure Committee identified the depot for closure, and by 2004 the process to incinerate the chemical stockpile stored at the site began. When the process was completed in 2011, the Army declared the entire site as excess property in 2012.
The installation was officially renamed the Raymond F. Rees Training Center on Sept. 29, 2022 as the home of the Oregon Army National Guard Regional Infantry Training center.
In remarks held after the two ceremonies, State Sen. Bill Hansell reflected on the past history of the region and the sober significance of the explosion at the depot in 1944. He noted that his father and uncle had “the largest hog farm in the United States,” on property adjacent to the depot in the 1950s and 60s.
“Over the years — I’ve often thought about the six people who perished at the site," Hansell said, reflecting on the anniversary. “Can you imagine if you had a loved one working the swing shift that evening and the concern you would have wondering if they would walk through the door? It’s fitting (today) that we pause and remember their sacrifices."
| Date Taken: | 03.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2024 22:57 |
| Story ID: | 467114 |
| Location: | HERMISTON, OR, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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