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Back in the family

Lewiston Morning Tribune - 11/26/2020

Nov. 26--A blue Navy dress uniform rescued from a Lewiston thrift store is back with the family of the World War II veteran who wore it almost eight decades ago.

Betty Eastwood, a 93-year-old Lewiston resident, was recently presented with the uniform, medals and a burial flag by Asotin County Commissioner Chuck Whitman, who is also a Navy veteran.

After much research and help from the community, Whitman was able to determine the uniform belonged to Chief Petty Officer Raymond C. Scott, an aviation radioman who was related to Eastwood's late husband, Dr. Roy Eastwood. It was donated to a thrift store and set aside by a former manager, in hopes the veteran's family members could someday be found. Whitman began his search this fall, aided by area history buffs.

"It has been an honor and distinct privilege that I have been part of a search that has taken me from Nezperce, Idaho, and Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe, to Cambridge, England, home of the American Cemetery, WWII combat action, Spokane and back to Lewiston," he said. "The number of people who became part of this story and their enthusiasm to honor ACRM Scott's distinguished service to his country has been astonishing."

In the days after a Nov. 9Lewiston Tribune article was published about the uniform, Whitman said his phone rang off the hook and emails started pouring in from people who wanted to help reunite the carefully folded garment and medals with the sailor's surviving family.

Ultimately, Bev Thon, of Lewiston, did extensive genealogical research and was able to identify Scott's mother, Bessie Gillepsie, of Spokane, Whitman said. Bessie lived to be 102 years old, and during her early years in Nezperce, she met Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe, according to the research. Next, Thon was able to identify Bessie's nephew, Dr. Roy Eastwood, who lived in Lewiston.

Whitman said another area genealogy enthusiast, Steve Juve, came up with similar information, and he and Thon both found the name of the doctor's widow, who is in good health and still lives at home.

When Whitman contacted Eastwood, a retired pharmacist, on Veterans Day, she was surprised to learn the uniform was connected to her family. Her late husband kept everything, Eastwood said, and there were several truckloads of items donated to the Salvation Army after his death. The uniform was likely in a box in the basement that didn't get opened.

"I always told him I wouldn't bury him until I cleaned the house, and I was serious about that," she said with a laugh when the uniform was delivered last week. "He could've put it in a box I never opened. Raymond was gone before I was ever in the family. I read the article about the uniform in the Tribune, and didn't remember ever seeing that one. Quite truthfully, I'm snowed and I can only speculate how it wound up at the Salvation Army."

Raymond C. Scott was killed in August of 1943 and reported as missing in action, according to an article published in the Spokesman-Review later that year. The aviation chief radioman had been on an operational flight when his plane was attacked by the enemy. A German shell exploded in the radio compartment, and the burning plane went down shortly afterward and sank almost immediately, the paper reported.

Scott sent out a message when the attack was imminent, giving details of the plane's position, which aided in the rescue of three survivors, his commander said in a letter shared with the Spokesman-Review by his mother. Scott, who formerly lived in Wenatchee and Okanogan, Wash., was a graduate of North Central High School and had been in the Navy for three years. His body was never recovered, but Scott is enshrined in the Cambridge American Cemetery in England.

The research about the uniform also led to the discovery of a Spokane Chronicle story about Scott's mother, Bessie Gillepsie, who was born in 1882 and died in 1984, Whitman said. When Gillespie turned 100, she was featured in an extensive article and told the reporter that famed Nez Perce Chief Joseph came to her family's house in Idaho many times when she was growing up.

"Sometimes he would come into our house, put his blanket down on the floor and go to sleep," she said.

Gillespie's nephew died in 1996. Dr. Eastwood was a director of the Nez Perce County Health Department and a longtime area physician, who also served as chief of staff at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and worked with the Nez Perce Tribe.

His widow was the first female pharmacist at Payless Drug in Lewiston. When she started her pharmacy career in 1963, the president of the company had to approve the hiring of a woman, she said.

"I had one pharmacist who didn't like taking orders from a woman, but everyone else was fine with it," Eastwood said.

Sitting in her tidy living room, Eastwood said she's pleased with the work Whitman and others did to bring closure to the uniform's origins.

"Thank you," she told Whitman. "I'm glad I have this. I didn't know the man, but I'm glad it's back in the family. I know my grandson will appreciate this."

In addition to the wool uniform, medals and flag, Whitman compiled a notebook with a letter detailing the uniform's saga, and the war hero who once wore it. He included obituaries and other information about the veteran's family, because he feels it's important to pass on the history to later generations. He also plans to submit the story to a national military publication.

"As a Navy veteran myself, I think this is just great," Whitman said. "This story created a life of its own, and I'm really excited we found Mrs. Eastwood. This has been quite a journey."

Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.

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