BROWNSVILLE — This poster  honors the memory of those who have served in all branches of the service.

The gold stars at the top of the poster honor all of the Gold Star Mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country.

The folded flag reminds us to keep alive the memories and sacrifices of those who have served our country in the past, lest future generations forget.

The poster was designed by North Kitsap Herald reporter Terryl Asla and his sister, Merrilee Asla- Lee, and photographed by his daughter, Colleen Dobbin, at the request of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The poster was proposed for use during POW-MIA Recognition Day, Sept. 19.

It’s a poster featuring a boy whose family has a history of military service dating back to March 1845.

The boy in the picture is Dobbin’s son, Mikey, whose father, Senior Chief Gary Dobbin, is stationed at Bangor. (The dolphins in the photo are his).

Mikey and his father are related to James Cochran Dobbin who, 173 years ago this month, assumed the duties of U.S. secretary of the Navy.

A visionary and a firm believer in a strong Navy, many of the ships Secretary Dobbin had built later fought in the Civil War. He also sent the Perry expedition to Japan, opening up trade with that nation, and had the Isthmus of Panama mapped and surveyed for a possible future canal.

On his father Gary’s side, one of Mikey’s grandfathers was a Marine who fought at Hamburger Hill during the Korean Conflict; the other served in the Navy.

The photo of the pilot in a flying helmet is Mikey’s maternal great-grandfather, the late Capt. Lawrence Harrahill, USAAF (ret.), who flew in WWII. The Air Force jacket Mikey is wearing, the trunk, and the Purple Heart he is holding belonged to Terryl and Merrilee’s father, Major Felix Asla Jr., USAF (KIA), whose F-86 sabre jet was shot down over North Korea in 1952.

Mikey is wearing fatigue pants in honor of his uncle who served in the U.S. Army.