The Columbia Development Authority and the Oregon Military Department will host a memorial service to observe the 80th anniversary of the 1944 munitions explosion at the former Umatilla Army Ordnance Depot.
The commemoration ceremony honoring the six people that perished in the igloo explosion will be held at the Rees Training Center near Hermiston on March 21 at 10 a.m. Use the entrance into the depot off I82 exit 10 overpass at Lamb Road in Hermiston.
The ceremony is open to the public and those desiring to attend should meet at a staging area off Westland Road and Lamb Road military entrance at 10 a.m., and then an escort will be led to the tribute site. The service will include military honors performed by Oregon National Guard Color Guard members, a Tribal blessing, a wreath laying vigil by the American Legion and a blessing by the Chaplain from the Oregon Military Department.
State Sen. Bill Hansell, Columbia Development Authority Executive Director Greg Smith, Columbia Development Authority Board Chairman Kim Puzey, Columbia Development Authority Board member John Shafer, along with members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are scheduled to attend.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, a procession will be led by the Oregon Military Department Wildland Fire back to the Rees Training Center to the Explosion Site Memorial Plaque for a moment of silence, led by Oregon National Guard Chaplain (Col.) Jacob Scott and CTUIR Toby Patrick. The event will conclude with the remarks from the guest speakers and a complimentary lunch in the barrack’s great room.
As the United States prepared for World War II, the U.S. Army began building a military munitions and supply depot on twenty thousand acres of land located on Umatilla and Morrow counties near Hermiston, Oregon in 1940. The site was selected because it was safe from attacks by sea, as well as the proximity to established railroad lines and a port location on the Columbia River.
The accidental explosion on March 21, 1944, took place inside one of the many concrete igloos where bombs were stored, leaving a deep crater, and killing six workers.
