Student Volunteers Pitch in for Veterans

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May 22, 2026

On a recent sunny May morning, Eastern Washington University veterans and volunteers met at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery to prepare for Memorial Day this Monday, May 25. Between pulling weeds and picking up litter, student volunteers focused on making the space as pristine as possible before the annual Memorial Day remembrance ceremony.

Three miles west of Fairchild Air Force Base, the Washington State Veterans Cemetery is the resting place of more than 10,000 veterans and their family members.

The EWU team included Mark Este, second from the left, of Community Engagement.

Rudy Lopez, the Veterans Cemetery director, says that for him, the biggest privilege is getting to hear the incredible stories of the people they honor. A 30-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Lopez says it is a source of great pride to be the archivist of so many untold stories.

"We've got POWs (prisoners of war). We've got KIAs (killed in action) and combat casualties -probably a dozen of each," says Lopez, who has had the unique opportunity of meeting countless veterans and their families.

He describes those whose stories he's heard as the humblest people, saying, "They didn't want attention, they just served. They just filled the gap, as somebody else did before them."

Rudy Lopez, the cemetery director, speaks to the EWU volunteers.

Lopez, a self-proclaimed storyteller, said that while serving, after getting promoted out of pharmacy, his job as a senior leader was to keep the troops motivated. "The stories of the people interned here are what keep our staff going. They remind us why we're here."

Anthony Whipple, director of EWU's Veterans Resource Center, described Memorial Day as a day of remembrance as well as connection. "People who've served, we have a special connection to those who came before us," Whipple says, "and we're trying in any way we can to honor the history that exists here. To celebrate and respect those who came before us."

Depending on the time of year, EWU is home to between 250 and 300 active and non-active veterans.

Student volunteers arrived ready to work and make a difference.

A veteran himself, Whipple emphasizes that there is a vast spectrum of service-all valuable and all for our country. Whipple is dedicated, not only to providing opportunities that connect volunteers, as well as veterans and their families, with the stories of past heroes, but to also educate those who have no military connection.

"We're in a time where the military is all volunteer, and unless somebody you know made that decision, it's getting further and further removed from the general population," Whipple says.

Joined by Mark Este, director of EWU's Office of Community Engagement (OCE), and around 10 student volunteers, Becca Britton, a first-year master of social work student and veteran of the U.S. Navy, says there is nothing better than serving her fellow veterans. Britton, who originally got her bachelor's degree in food science and nutrition, says she decided to go back to school in pursuit of her MSW because she missed working with veterans.

ROTC cadets Alexis Philips, Caitlyn Rew and Zachary Behr were among the volunteers.

Another EWU student veteran volunteer, Zachary Becker, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies and an ROTC member, says it's important to remember not only the veterans who are buried in the cemetery, but also what all veterans have done for this country.

"Some gave everything, some gave their lives. Some gave what they had and survived," Becker says. His friend's grandfather is buried at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, he says, adding that what they're doing as volunteers is for him and for the countless other veterans they'll never meet.

Becca Britton, a master of social work student and U.S. Navy veteran, was happy to help.

For more information about the Washington State Veterans Cemetery or their annual Memorial Day ceremony, please visit the Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs website or check out EWU's veterans resource center.

**Story and photos by Rachel Weinberg.

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