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World War II vet on tour with 50-state goal

Sidney Walton, of San Diego, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, visits the state’s WWII memorial with his son, Paul, and daughter, Judy, on Wednesday. The memorial has the names of Washingtonians killed in WWII etched on bronze blades that form shapes representing soldiers and sailors.. (Jim Camden / The Spokesman-Review)
Sidney Walton, of San Diego, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, visits the state’s WWII memorial with his son, Paul, and daughter, Judy, on Wednesday. The memorial has the names of Washingtonians killed in WWII etched on bronze blades that form shapes representing soldiers and sailors.. (Jim Camden / The Spokesman-Review)
By Jim Camden jimc@spokesman.com(509) 879-7461

OLYMPIA – World War II veteran Sidney Walton and his son, Paul, set an ambitious goal when Sidney reached 99 this year. He’d visit all 50 states and meet all 50 governors, ending his cross-country odyssey at the White House.

On Wednesday, the two checked the Washington state Capitol and Gov. Jay Inslee off the list. Sidney and Inslee shook hands and chatted briefly before Sidney received an apple-shaped lapel pin signifying he was the honorary Evergreen State citizen of the day.

“Seeing a veteran like Sidney smile is pretty inspiring to a guy like me,” Inslee said.

The tour is designed to call attention to the declining numbers of World War II vets, who once numbered more than 16 million but now have dwindled to about 500,000, according to VA estimates. After meeting a governor, they spend about a week traveling the state, sometimes visiting schools or college campuses. The schedule is pretty much day-to-day, Paul said, posted on their goSidgo.com website. Sometimes they just post they’ll be stopping for coffee somewhere, and people come to visit.

In a few days, they’ll head east on U.S. Highway 2 to catch the fall foliage in the Cascades, make their way to Spokane – Sidney wants to see Gonzaga University – then down to Pullman and Washington State University, followed by the Tri-Cities. Later this month, they fly to Boston, where the NHL Bruins are honoring Sidney at a game. Between trips, they live in San Diego.

It’s called the “No Regrets Tour” because one of Sidney’s big regrets is that although he’s a student of history and very interested in the Civil War, he passed up the chance when he was young to meet living veterans of that war before they were all gone.

A five-year Army veteran who served in India as part of the China Burma India Theater campaign, Sidney is about mid-range for a World War II vet. The youngest are about 90, while the oldest currently is 106.

The tour started in the spring, but Washington is only the 15th state they’ve reached so far. It was interrupted this summer when Paul, age 63, needed surgery for throat cancer. To reach the goal, they’ll continue past Sidney’s 100th birthday, which will include a visit to the White House and a meeting with President Donald Trump.

Sidney’s daughter Judy Walton, who lives in Portland, joined them for the Olympia stop. After meeting Inslee, the three toured the World War II monument on the Capitol campus, where the name of every Washington resident killed in the war is engraved on giant bronze blades and bronze wheat stalks in the form of a field vibrate and ricochet off each other when one stalk is pulled and released.