Vetsday

• Ways to honor veterans, pg 2

• Five Rivers salutes veterans, pg 3

• Veterans’ bios, pgs 4-9

• Local veterans’ memorials, pg 10

• United in service, united in gratitude: honoring Oregon’s veterans, pgs 11-12

Veterans Day bio

To Vietnam and back

By Chelsea Yarnell Guest Contributor

The Vietnam War felt so far from Tillamook County.

Regardless the distance, Nick Steiner was drafted into the army August 1, 1967.

“It was inevitable,” Steiner said. “I had been going to Oregon State University but had to drop out for a year because of my dad’s ill health. We had a dairy farm [Premium-Farms] and trucking business, and he needed help with that.”

Returning to Tilla-

mook, his draft deferment ended.

“I was born and raised here, just one mile south of Tillamook,” he said. “Tillamook was not very anti-war at the time; Vietnam just seemed so far away.”

On June 5, 1967, Steiner married MyrnaRae Motley in Baker, OR. They’d met at Oregon State University and recall it as “love at first sight.”

Sixty days later at the age of 20, Steiner was drafted.

“Four months after

n See STEINER, Page A9

Helping Families and Businesses for over 45 Years

Salute to Veterans

United in Service, United in Gratitude: Honoring Oregon’s Veterans

By Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels

This week, across Oregon and across our nation, we gather as one community — many voices, many experiences, united in purpose — to honor all who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. Veterans Day is a moment for all of us to pause, reflect, and give thanks — not only as citizens, but as members of a community bound by service and sacrifice.

Those of us who have served know that the decision to wear our nation’s uniform is not one made lightly. It is a choice shaped by duty, by love of country, and by a commitment to something larger than ourselves. It changes the way we see the world and deepens our appreciation for peace, for freedom, and for one another. Whether

we served in times of conflict or calm, at home or abroad, we share an unbreakable bond forged through shared purpose and sacrifice.

Oregon is home to more than a quarter of a million veterans, each with a story that deserves to be heard. Some of us served in the heat of battle; others supported missions from ships, bases,

and hospitals around the world. Together, we represent every era — from those who fought in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to those who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless operations in between. No matter the place or period, we all answered the same call to serve our nation and defend its ideals. When I meet with fellow veterans across our state, I am struck by the same thread of quiet resilience that runs through every story. We don’t think of ourselves as heroes. We think of ourselves as people who did our duty, who stood by our brothers and sisters, and who came home ready to continue serving in new ways — as parents, teachers, public servants, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. That ongoing spirit of service