Trying to add a payment method? You can do this on the 
QuickTake:
Community members came together to share an hour of remembrance and ritual in Eugene’s historic cemetery.
Under the towering conifers of Eugene Pioneer Cemetery, musicians performed, speakers recited historic words and soldiers in Civil War regalia performed a three-volley salute Monday to honor fallen soldiers.
Around 200 people attended the annual Memorial Day service, including Army veteran Nick Urhausen.
Urhausen, 79, has come to Eugene Pioneer Cemetery on Memorial Day for decades.
Urhausen joined the Army at 17, serving in Korea for a year before being sent to Vietnam for 10 months. He said it took 30 days to get there by boat, and when they got there, they saw action.
“In my division, there were a lot of kills; it was the 1st Infantry Division,” said Urhausen, who is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Willamette Post 293 and the American Legion.
While he was lucky not to see much combat himself, every morning, he would drive a Jeep to a French ice house in Saigon, traveling a road where others were ambushed. He was tasked with getting 10 blocks of ice to keep soldiers’ sodas and beers cold.
Now, Urhausen lets his wife, Rebeca Urhausen, do the driving. The couple met in Mexico City while Nick was going to University of the Americas under the G.I. Bill. Rebeca, was the secretary at the university who helped veterans get their government checks. She moved from her home in Mexico to live with Nick after he graduated.
“Love is blind, I say, love is blind,” Rebeca said, laughing.
Life 55 years later looks much different for Nick and Rebeca Urhausen.
Because of his Parkinson’s and diabetes, it’s harder for Nick to get around. Two of his best friends from the Army died last year, he said. He still tries to write to his other Army buddies by email every day. Their experience in Vietnam binds them through all the years and miles apart.
Doug Pandol, a 21-year Army veteran (1980-2001), has a similar bond with his brothers, father and uncles, who all served in the military. He said that while he doesn’t know many other veterans in the community, he enjoys coming to the Memorial Day service every year.
“Veterans getting together with other veterans, I enjoy the camaraderie,” Pandol said. “And I really enjoy the fact that families and people who have nothing to do with the service come out and recognize it’s a great tribute.”
