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In 1972, decorated WWII veteran Bill Skivington,
Sr. watched as Governor Mike O’Callaghan, a decorated Korean War veteran,
planted a small olive tree in front of the Nevada State Office Building at 215
E. Bonanza in Las Vegas. The Freedom Tree was dedicated to his son Sgt. William
Skivington, Jr. and all POW/MIA’s. Bill Jr. had gone missing on Mother’s day in
1968 in a place called Kham Duc, Vietnam.
Thirty-eight years later the memorial tree was scheduled to be plowed under,
along with the building that had been re-named for A.A. “Bud” Campos, the
longest serving Chief of the Division of Parole and Probation. The agency (by
then a Division of the Nevada Department of Public Safety) was the sole
remaining occupant of the 54 year old structure.
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The Department realized the significance of the
monument and it undertook an endeavor to save it. Located through an internet
search, Allan “Doc” Hoe, the medic in “Skip’s” unit, was contacted and he put us
in touch with the elder Mr. Skivington (Allan’s son had recently been killed
while serving in Iraq and Mr. Skivington wrote to him to express condolences).
Arrangements were made to move the Tree to the
Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, but there was no money allocated to
do so. First Choice Tree Service volunteered to move the tree at cost; even
though it was still around $20,000 (Over the years the tree had grown
considerably). With the help of reporters from Channel 8 KLAS and work by the
Department’s administration, donations large (Nevada Power, Boyd Gaming, several
labor unions, and politicians) and small (including $5 from a family from
Australia) were received.
Several organizations came together to assist in
the project. Another decorated war veteran, Congressman (now Governor) Jim
Gibbons, contacted Nellis Air Force Base. Those men and women injected their
enthusiastic and invaluable support. The Nevada Department of Transportation
pitched in, along with the US Army Reserve, the Nevada National Guard, the State
Office of Veteran Services, and the Nevada Highway Patrol. On November 18, 2006,
the Tree was successfully moved to the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial
Cemetery in Boulder City (the cemetery established under Mike O’Callaghan’s
administration and where he had been laid to rest).
Ironically and fatefully, in the middle of the
project, the remains of William “Skip” Skivington were located and identified.
His father, who had survived Normandy and Bastogne during WWII, lived long
enough to see him interred at our National Cemetery in Arlington. Not long
afterwards, Mr. Skivington joined his son and his fallen comrades.
The Division of Parole & Probation is proud to
have played a small part in saving a symbol of the honor and sacrifice of our
fallen heroes. Today, the Division of Parole & Probation proudly displays the
POW/MIA flag as a symbol of gratitude for those who have ultimately paid the
ultimate cost of freedom.
You are not forgotten!
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