Seattle Eagle Scout honored at Memorial Wall

A group of local military veterans presented an award on Monday to Peter Gockowski, an O’Dea High School 2018 graduate who recently became an Eagle Scout.

Gockowski’s Eagle Scout project involved cleaning up the old Memorial Wall at Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center.  The wall lists the names of 800 Seattle School District students who died in World War Two, but it has fallen into disrepair  and uncertainty about its future in recent years.

Speaking at the simple ceremony, US Marine Corps vet Larry Alcantara praised Gockowski for the work he did to help restore the Memorial Wall.

“Noticing that the wall was partially obscured by trash strewn overgrown hedges, Peter leapt into action,” Alcantara said at the modest yet moving ceremony. “The first hurdle was securing approval from the Seattle School District and the City of Seattle, no small feat in itself.  And upon hearing of Peter’s remarkable choice, the first thought I had was the Leatherneck Honor Guard’s motto: only the forgotten are truly dead.”

Alcantara formally presented Peter Gockowski with a certificate.

“I present to you the Marine Corps League Good Citizenship Award presented to Peter Joseph Gockowski who has attained the rank of Eagle Scout,” Alcantara said. “Thank you for your service and congratulations.”

Tahoma National Cemetery bugler

At this point in the ceremony, Tahoma National Cemetery bugler Bernie Moskowitz played Taps, while all on hand faced the Memorial Wall in silent tribute.

Gockowski, who will attend St. John’s University in Minnesota in the fall, was clearly appreciative of the honor, yet he also maintained his modest demeanor.

When asked about how he felt to be the recipient of the award, he expressed his gratitude, but then quickly moved on to more practical concerns.  The vegetation he and his volunteer team trimmed earlier this year has grown back with a vengeance.

“It makes me feel good about what I did and how it made a positive impact on the community,” Gockowski said.  “And I hope it influences other Scouts to do the same and make bigger progress, and eventually take out the bush because honestly it shouldn’t be there.”

Peter’s father, Joe Gockowski, was on hand for the ceremony, and was justifiably pleased with his son and the ceremony.

“I’m pretty proud of all he’s done and where he’s going with his life, and decisions he’s made,” Joe Gockowski said.

“I think he’s on to great things.”

Meanwhile, the future of the Memorial Wall may not be so great.

Though then-Mayor Tim Burgess committed to saving the monument last November as part of a wide-ranging partnership with the Seattle School District, there has been little to no progress in securing funding for a number of capital initiatives, and it’s unclear where the Durkan administration stands on this issue.

The Seattle School District owns and maintains Memorial Stadium and the Memorial Wall, but the land abuts city-owned Seattle Center, and was donated to the school district in the 1940s for the express purpose of building a stadium for high school sports.  Plans currently call for replacement of the stadium and preservation of the Memorial Wall.

In response to an email inquiry about fundraising or other progress on the project, a spokesperson for the Seattle School District said Monday, “We don’t have any updates at this time” about the status of the Memorial Stadium project, and was unable to provide the name of a project contact for the City of Seattle.

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