West Valley High School Alumni

Yakima, Washington (WA)

Military Alumni

Military High School Alumni

Honoring Our Heroes

This area is dedicated to our alumni that have served or are serving in our armed forces!

Lost Class Rings

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Honored Military Alumni

Agustin Ortega
Agustin Ortega
Class of 2003
Coast Guard, 5 Years

USCGC Steadfast, ISC Seattle, CG Airstation Warrenton, and CG Smallboat Station Depoe Bay
Blake Busey
Blake Busey
Class of 2003
Army, 2 Years

AMEDD 2LT Medical Corp
Bryan Heavilin
Bryan Heavilin
Class of 1986
Navy, 20+ Years

MMCM
Collin l Bales
Collin l Bales
Class of 1970
Air Force, 10 Years

Law Enfocement Specialists/Supervisor 1974 to 1984
Errol H. Van Eaton
Errol H. Van Eaton
Class of 1965
Army, 20+ Years

RESUME OF SERVICE CAREER

OF

ERROL HAY VAN EATON, Brigadier General, (ARNGUS)

Retired effective Sep 14, 1998, Died Mar 16, 1999

YEARS OF COMMISSIONED SERVICE Over 28

TOTAL YEARS OF SERVICE Over 31

PRESENT ASSIGNMENT Commander, 66th Aviation Brigade, Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington 98430-5188 since June 1993

MILITARY SCHOOLS ATTENDED

Aviation School, Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Aviation Course (Commandant’s List)
Field Artillery School, Field Artillery Officer Basic Course
Aviation School, Rotary Wing Instrument Flight Examiner Course
Field Artillery School, Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course
Aviation School, Aviation Safety Officer Course
Command and General Staff College\
Military Police School, Military Police Pre-Command Course
Transportation School, Transportation Field Grade Officer Refresher Course
National Defense University, Reserve Component National Security Issues Seminar
Army War College

EDUCATIONAL DEGREES

Everett Community College – AA Degree – Aviation Maintenance
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – BS Degree – Professional Aeronautics

MAJOR DUTY ASSIGNMENTS

FROM TO ASSIGNMENT

Active Duty
Apr 68 Jun 69 Rotary Wing Aviator, later Helicopter Pilot, 179th Aviation, Company
Jul 69 Jul 70 Rotary Wing Aviator, later Assistant Operations Officer, 154th Aviation
Jul 70 Oct 70 Student, Field Artillery School
Oct 70 Nov 71 Assistant Operations Officer, later Section Leader, 154th Aviation Company

USAR – Not on Active Duty
Nov 71 Jan 72 United States Army Control Group (Reinforcement)
Jan 72 Aug 72 Rotary Wing Aviator, 92nd Aviation Company
Aug 72 Jan 74 Rotary Wing/Fixed Aviator, 124th Army Reserve Command Flight Detachment
Jan 74 Oct 75 Flight Operations Officer, 92nd Aviation Company
Nov 75 May 80 Fixed/Rotary Aviator, later Aviation Safety Officer, later Standardization Officer, later Aviation Training/Standardization Officer, 124th Army Reserve Command Flight Detachment
May 80 Sep 82 S4, Headquarters, 174th Support Group
Sep 82 Jul 85 Commander, 324th Military Police Battalion
Aug 85 Apr 87 Chief, Training Evaluation Division, 124th Army Reserve Command Flight Detachment
Apr 87 Dec 87 Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, 124th Reserve Command Flight Detachment
Dec 87 Feb 90 Commander, 1397th Transportation Terminal Unit

Active Duty
Feb 90 Nov 91 Student Army War College

USAR – Not on Active Duty
Nov 91 Mar 92 Commander, 1397th Transportation Terminal Unit

ARNG – Not on Active Duty
Apr 92 Jun 93 Commander, 540th Aviation Group
Jun 93 Sep 98 Commander, 66th Combat Aviation Brigade

PROMOTIONS DATES OF APPOINTMENT

Component Date
CWO AUS 9 Apr 68
CW2 USAR 9 Apr 69
1LT AUS 11 Feb 70
CPT AUS 11 Feb 71
CPT USAR 16 Nov 71
MAJ USAR 15 Sep 77
LTC USAR 15 Mar 83
COL USAR 14 Mar 88
COL ARNG 1 Apr 90
BG (Line) ARNG 25 Oct 93

DECORATIONS AND BADGES

Distinguished Flying Cross (with 1 bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (with 3 bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Air Medal (with 25 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Army Commendation Medal (with "V" Device and 2 bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
Army Achievement Medal
Good Conduct Medal
Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (with 4 bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
National Defense Service Medal (with 1 bronze Service Star)
Vietnam Service Medal (with 4 bronze Service Stars)
Humanitarian Service Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with 1 Hourglass Device)
Army Service Ribbon
Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon with Numeral 1
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with "60" Device
Master Army Aviator Wings

SOURCE OF COMMISSION Direct Commission, 11 February 1970

A new Washington National Guard hangar was dedicated in September 2004 to serve A Company 159th Aviation Regiment. It was named in honor of Brigadier General Errol H. Van Eaton (1948-1999). General Van Eaton, born and raised in Yakima, served in Vietnam 1968-1969 as an aviator. Later he served in the Washington Army National Guard and in June 1993 assumed command of the 66th Aviation Brigade. In March 1999, as a civilian pilot flying humanitarian missions, he crashed and died in Haiti.
Harold Steenbergen
Harold Steenbergen
Class of 1961
Army, 2 Years

Infantryman, E5, Vietnam. 9th Inf Div, 60th Inf Reg, 5th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, Co B.
Jeremy Needham
Jeremy Needham
Class of 1995
Coast Guard, 8 Years

Helicopter Aircrew
John Brown
John Brown
Class of 2000
Army, 8 Years

Two Deployments to Iraq.
Joshua E Thompson
Joshua E Thompson
Class of 1993
Marine Corps, 4 Years

Served this country honorably.
Mike Wilson
Mike Wilson
Class of 1993
Air Force, 4 Years

Aircraft machanic F-16
Saw the world and loved it.
Recieved the Purple Heart
Sam L. Garrison
Sam L. Garrison
Class of 1985
Army, 16 Years

US Army '86-'93; Washington Army National Guard '93-'97; Washington Air National Guard '97-'03
Steven Winmill
Steven Winmill
Class of 1980
Army, 15 Years

5 years active duty. 10 years in the National Guard. Rank-SSG/E6. Currently a Corrections Officer Yakima County Jail since 1994.
Troy Edwards
Troy Edwards
Class of 1990
Marine Corps, 12 Years

Served in the Marines, Army, Army NG. I am 60% Disabled was in the gulf war, Somalia, Kuwait, and Iraq.

Classmates Spotlight

West Valley High School Classmates

Paulette Wilmoth
Class of '68

Alumni Stories

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Our West Valley High School military alumni are some of the most outstanding people we know and this page recognizes them and everything they have done! Not everyone gets to come home for the holidays and we want our West Valley High School Military to know that they are loved and appreciated. All of us in Yakima are proud of our military alumni and want to thank them for risking their lives to protect our country!