EVERETT — The residents of the Mariner Village mobile home park in south Everett are doing something for their residents who served in the armed forces.
A “Veterans Wall of Honor” is scheduled to be unveiled in April at the park’s annual spring luncheon.
Like a lot of good ideas, it took a circuitous route from concept to execution.
Jennifer Henriksen, the vice president of Mariner Village’s board, credits fellow resident Carolyn Hildebrand with coming up with the idea of turning a wall in the park’s community center into the Wall of Honor.
The wall wasn’t getting much use beforehand, said Larry Whitworth, a Vietnam War veteran who lives in the 55-plus community.
“Before we had a couple pictures that made this look like an old folks’ home,” Whitworth said.
“We may be seniors, but we ain’t old,” he said.
On Nov. 11, Veterans Day, the board met with the goal of deciding how to go about making the wall. Henriksen spent the days before the meeting trying to get as many residents to attend as possible.
She baked a sheet cake with “Thank you, veterans” written on the icing.
“I was elected vice president because they knew I’m pretty much a go-getter. If I want to get something done I go after it,” she said.
The board recruited Whitworth to paint a mural on the wall depicting a waving U.S. flag. Henriksen’s husband, Ole Henriksen, plans take photos of all the willing vets in the park to hang on the wall.
Henriksen estimates there are 27 veterans in the 165-unit park, although there might be more she doesn’t know about.
“We’ve got vets all the way from World War II up through Vietnam and afterward,” Whitworth said.
There might even be a Gulf War vet living in Mariner Village now, he added.
Most of the veterans Henriksen has spoken with are on board with having their picture on the wall, she said, with only two or three declining at this time.
“Nowadays, when a young man returns from the services, he’s lauded and they have parties,” she said. “They meet them at the airport. When the Vietnam vets returned, they were treated very badly.
“The Wall of Honor is even more important to honor those vets,” Henriksen said.
Whitworth, who painted the mural in stages over several weeks, said the Wall of Honor is a much better use of the space and better for the community as a whole.
“We’re honoring the people in the park,” he said.
“We hope it’ll last forever,” he added.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
