Summer 2015 Vets News

oregon veteran news publication

SUMMER 2015

Page 5

japanese good luck flags returned to families

By OBON 2015

VETS NEWS

Connect with ODVA news online: [web & eSubscribe] oregon.gov/odva [blog] oregondva.com [fb] odvavet [twitter] @oregondva

Nineteen Veterans Interred at Willamette National

PHOTO BY MARC HUCHETTE

A FINAL SALUTE AND FULL MILITARY HONORS

A final salute with full military honors was given to 19 Oregon military veterans and two spouses of veterans when their cremated remains were interred at Willamette National Cemetery on May 22.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

By Mike Allegre

PORTLAND – For decades there had been uncertainty about their identities. But, with research by staff at the state hospital, a final salute with full military honors was given to 19 Oregon military veterans and two spouses of veterans when their cremated remains were interred at Willamette National Cemetery on May 22.

For nearly 10 years, the Oregon State Hospital Replacement Project has been working with the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) to identify the deceased, who are eligible for veteran burial. This includes the cremains of a veteran’s spouse who also is eligible to be interred at a national cemetery.

Over several decades the cremains had been stored in copper canisters at the State Hospital and had at one time been interred in an underground memorial where the canisters sustained water damage and irreversible corrosion.

In 2004, State Senate President Peter Courtney

discovered the canisters in an outbuilding on hospital grounds and said he did not want these people to be forgotten. Since then, the State Hospital has been working vigorously to ensure the cremains of all patients are cared for and treated with the proper respect.

ODVA Director Cameron Smith said the cremains of these unidentified veterans were secured until their identities could be accurately verified.

“Identifying these veterans’ cremains after all these years ensures we honor and recognize their service,” he said. “Just as we thank all veterans for their service, we thank the amazing team from the Oregon State Hospital and their partners for all of their research and hard work to correct the record.”

The State Hospital has been the custodian of the cremated remains of approximately 3,400 people who died between 1914 and 1971 while living or working at the hospital, Oregon SEE CREMAIN - PAGE 10

POW/MIA Flag bill signed by Governor After the signing of HB 2892, the national POW/MIA flag was raised at the State Capitol. Read about two former POW's that helped inspire this legislation.

PGs 8-9

president signs law creating veteran id A bill allowing all military veterans to recieve official ID cards through the VA was passed by Congress and signed by the President on July 20.

PG 10

70 years since the end of WWII The largest and most violent armed conflict in the history of mankind ended August 1945. PG 6-7

BUILDING MOMENTUM TO BETTER SERVE ALL GENERATIONS 

Cameron Smith, Director

The summer has been unusually hot across the state and I hope our veterans and their families are getting out to Oregon’s rivers, lakes and beaches.

The 78th Legislative Session recently adjourned in July after kicking off in February. With a solid budget and a number of significant policy bills, we are very thankful for the legislative support for our veterans and military families.

The department’s biennial budget drives much of our efforts to serve and honor Oregon’s veterans.

This year, we were pleased to continue an additional $1 million in funds above base budget to support County Veteran Service Offices. At the statewide level, we also doubled our training capacity for veteran service officers.

The Legislature also invested in essential resources to coordinate outreach to underserved veterans. We now have an Aging Veteran Services Director who is focused on how to better support the 52% of our veterans that served in Vietnam, Korea and WWII, and who have unique needs as they age.

We’ll also be hiring a Women’s Veterans Coordinator to improve outreach to women veterans, the fastest growing demographic in our veterans’ community.

Working with all of you, we were able to pass a number of legislative bills to further honor our veterans. Interstate 5 was named to recognize our Korean War Veterans and also declared as the Purple Heart Trail which was the missing section of I-5 that fully connected the trail from Canada to Mexico. We now also have a law that all public buildings will fly the POW-MIA flag. We stand together to remember a forgotten war and to never forget those who have served and sacrificed for our state and country.

Other bills had significant policy and program impacts for our veterans. These included preference in public contracting for service disabled veteran owned businesses and priority enrollment for veterans at Oregon’s community colleges and universities. We also continue to invest in suicide prevention efforts and linking veterans to crisis resources.

This summer, we marked the 70th anniversary of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA). To celebrate, we proudly hosted a Veteran Benefit Expo to connect veterans to their earned benefits. The number of providers and partners

dedicated to serving our veterans was impressive.

As we look forward, we want to build on our momentum to better serve our four generations of veterans. With the legislative session wrapped up, we’ll be getting out across the state and engaging the veterans’ community in conversation to develop a policy agenda with recommended strategies in key outcome areas. If you are unable to attend any of these events, please consider lending your voice and ideas through our online Veteran Community Conversations Survey. You can also follow along as we tour the state. Information is on the back cover of this issue.

At ODVA, we are proud of our core programs and for being a center of gravity in our veterans’ community. Ultimately, we must tap into the sea of goodwill with our broad partners to stand up for our veterans’ health, education and economic opportunity.

With your help, we will continue to chart out, advocate for and realize the essential support to ensure veterans thrive in Oregon.

Director Smith served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, completing three tours of duty in Iraq. He was honorably discharged after serving five years in the Marines. A graduate of Carleton College in Minn., he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Director Smith is originally from Boston but happily lives in Portland, Oregon, where he continues to root for the Red Sox.

Front row: Hobart Woody, Field Section Chief; Louis Bonney, Assistant AG; Larry Quinlin, Public Relations; Elmo Mills, Assistant Director; Hub Saalfeld, Director; Alan Mc Eachern, Claims Rep.; Roy Bell, Auditor; Raymond Pettey, Education Officer; Vere McCarty, Services Officer

Vets News is a free quarterly publication. Each issue contains current information impacting veterans in Oregon including Federal VA topics and state, regional and local happenings. When credit is given to the source, Vets News articles may be reprinted.

Back row: Ernest Smith, Loan Manager; P. Dixon Van Ausdell, Assistant Loan Manager; Robert Elgin, Chief Appraiser; David Conner, Manager Portland Office; Donovan Morisky, Property Manager.

BE A GUEST CONTRIBUTOR ODVA reaches more than 20,000 veterans and their families through its print and electronic publication.

We welcome contributions about veteran concerns, issues and programs that are important, informative and/or a great tidbit of news that other veterans would enjoy reading about. To inquire or submit a piece, please use the contact information below.

Letter to the Editor

Military reunion information and event submissions are welcome, however, please note that all items are printed upon space availability. Submissions for the next issue must be received by October 6, 2015.

My cousin, our family’s historian and record keeper, recently called my attention to the Spring 2015 edition Vets News, Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs Celebrates 70 Years of Serving Veterans. Larry Quinlin, the author you credited in the editor’s note, is my father.

Up to the minute Oregon veteran news can also be found at www.oregondva.com.

I just wanted to let you know how delighted I am to see my father’s name published again in a newsletter. If dad was still alive, he would be pleased to know that his opinion continues to be timely and meaningful, and his writing to once more be publishable after all these years.

CONTACT / SUBSCRIBE / ADDRESS CHANGES Mail

Send your name and current address to ODVA, Vets News 700 Summer St. NE, Salem, OR 97301-1285

Phone

503-373-2389

Email

vetsnews@odva.state.or.us

Online

www.oregon.gov/odva/INFO/VetsNews.shtml

PUBLICATION AND COMMUNICATION STAFF

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Nicole Hoeft

Managing Editor / Production

Mike Allegre

Associate Editor / Staff Writer

Sarah Dressler

eVetsNews Production / Copy Editing

Marc Huchette

Staff Writer

O R E G O N D E PA R T M E N T O F V E T E R A N S ' A F FA I R S

DELIGHTED TO SEE MY FATHER'S NAME PUBLISHED Submitted by Lisa Zacharias

Dad was a strong supporter and promoter of benefits for veterans. You mentioned in your introduction to the article that Larry Quinlin was a freelance writer. Throughout his journalism career, he wrote articles for many publications. I would like you to also know that he was a University of Oregon Journalism graduate and served four years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He also proudly spent many years of his life in service to the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs as Public Information Officer starting in November 1945 and retiring in the 1970’s. Dad was also very active in VFW and American Legion activities. He included his family in veterans related activities and instilled in me the importance and value of providing service to our country and community.

Just for fun, I am sending copies of a photo of DVA staff (date unknown, but it would have been taken during the time Hub Saalfeld was Director). A list of who’s who is at the end of this letter (above). Also included is a copy of the Brass Bugle from 1959 which includes a special insert about my dad. Dad was the editor at the time and, while he was on a family vacation, his coworkers commandeered the publication for their own enjoyment.

The newsletter is also comprised of several pages concerning some of the most wonderful folks who worked at DVA back then. Many of these good people became lifetime family friends to the Quinlins.

I am sure my dad would be happy that I am writing to thank you but, because he was a modest man, he would not want me to ramble on too much about him. So, this letter is just to thank you for printing his articles again, to my delight! 

70 YEARS YOUNG: ODVA CELEBRATES In recognition of ODVA's 70th Anniversary on June 16, Gov. Kate Brown stopped by the employee celebration to express her thanks for the long standing dedication on behalf of veterans. The celebration was attended by current and past employees of the agency including past directors Jon Mangis and Jim Willis. Director Cameron Smith used his U.S. Marine Corps sabre to cut the cake with the governor and was joined by the longest tenured agency employee, Mary Dirks and the newest addition, Diana Sullivan.

A week later on June 24, ODVA held the first ever Veteran Benefit Expo which hosted nearly 100 state, federal and community program representatives at the Salem Convention Center. More than 400 veterans and their families attended the event to learn about the states' diverse offering of benefits and programs as well as meet the community organizations that offer resources.

A professional photographer was on site to capture the "face of Oregon veterans and their families."

These stunning images (some pictured here) will be used beginnging this year to share the amazing and enduring Oregon veteran story with our communities, leadership and one another. Look for opportunities at future events to participate and share your story.

2015 REGULAR LEGISLATIVE SESSION: VETERAN LEGISLATION RECAP The Oregon Legislature adjourned on July 6, 2015, after passing 921of the 2,799 bills, memorials and resolutions that were introduced during the 2015 Legislative Session. ODVA tracked 71 pieces of veteran-related legislation.

Overall, the session had a number of success regarding veterans in Oregon. A total of 28 bills were passed, including ten that honor veterans, six that provide new state veteran benefits, four resolutions to Congress, and 12 that relate to the statewide services ODVA provides to veterans and their families.

HONOR AND RECOGNITION Legislative honor and recognition bills include House Bill 2036 which designates a number of Oregon highways as veterans memorial highways, including the WWI Veterans Memorial Highway (Highway 395); Interstate-5 as both the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway and as the Purple Heart Trail (will run from Mexico to Canada); and Highway 101 as the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Veterans Memorial Highway. Oregon is now officially a Purple Heart State (HCR30) and beginning January 1, 2015, the POW/ MIA flag will be displayed with the Oregon State Flag on public buildings (HB 2892). The Legislature individually honored six fallen members of the Armed

Services and House Bill 2389 will streamline the process for Fallen Hero roadside memorial signs.

VETERAN BENEFIT LEGISLATION Highlights of veteran benefits legislation include: veterans, active members and qualified dependents will be given priority enrollment at public universities (HB 2645); Gold Star siblings will be able to obtain a Gold Star license plate (HB 2658); public employers will be able to pay an employee, who is on leave to perform military duty, the pay the employee was entitled to prior to leaving (HB 2763); and the state will certify service-connected disabled veteran business for public and private contracting (HB 3303).

Four resolutions urged Congress to: recognize a presumption of service connection for Blue Water Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange (HJM 9); support efforts to improve access to health care for veterans in rural areas (HJM 14); change veterans' health care from discretionary to permanent (HJM 18); and improve efforts to bring health care to veterans in rural communities (SJM 11).

Legislation relating to ODVA’s efforts to provide services and benefits to veterans and their families include directing ODVA to contract for a conducting a statewide

study on healthcare and medical services for women veterans (HB2539); ODVA will be part of a task force on incarcerated veterans (HB 2838); and ODVA and the counties will be able to appoint volunteer veteran guides to help in our veteran service offices (SB 89).

Legislation provided ODVA with two new veteran coordinators. A new women veterans coordinator will provide statewide outreach to women, address women’s issues and coordinate an annual statewide conference (HB 3479). This fall, Oregon will become the first state in the country to have a coordinator for LGBT veterans. The coordinator will help veterans who were dishonorabily discharged because of their sexual orientation change their discharge status and access benefits and help LGBT vets navigate through new same-sex partner benefits allowances (SB 946).

Another key bill protects veterans by exempting ODVA from disclosing veterans' personal information, such as names, residential and employment addresses, dates of birth, driver license numbers, telephone numbers, electronic mail addresses, marital status, dependents, the character of discharge from military service, and military rating or rank (SB 253).

If you are interested in receiving electronic updates on legislation you may sign up by visiting ODVA's website at www.oregon.gov/odva.  SUMMER 2015

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CIVIL WAR VETS MARKERS DEDICATED PHOTOS COURTESY OF OREGON MILITARY DEPT. PUBLIC AFFAIRS

MILWAUKIE – Noah Hubler was known as the first police officer in Milwaukie, Oregon, primarily because he owned a badge and a gun. A member of the Oregon Mounted Volunteer Cavalry and veteran of the “Indian War” in the Rogue River Valley, Hubler died while fighting.

The former sheriff was among nine soldiers who were honored at a ceremony on June 20 at the Milwaukie Pioneer Cemetery to commemorate the forgotten veterans who have been buried in unmarked graves for nearly 100 years. Surrounded by family members of these veterans, Civil War reenactors and veterans from several eras, seven grave markers for Civil War soldiers and two for Yakima War veterans were dedicated.

Carolyn Arntson is the organizer of the Band of Angels – a group working in cooperation with the Milwaukie Pioneer Cemetery Association and relatives of the veterans. Arntson said the group is really just American citizens who find it a tragedy that we have veterans with unmarked graves.

“Before the dedication visitors were walking on grass not knowing the veterans are underneath it, and these were men who were involved in the community,” she said.

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The Angels tracked down the veteran’s relatives to sign forms that would prompt a federal governmental program to donate the markers. Arnston said it took some explaining because most of the relatives didn’t know the veteran in question.

By 1856, Hubler joined many of his new neighbors

Proof of service is encouraged.

and volunteered to serve in the Oregon Mounted Volunteer Cavalry in the Oregon Territories’ “Indian War” in the Rogue River Valley. Although his military service in the 9th Regiment was brief, that experience was referenced prominently in obituaries nearly 60 years later. 

GIRL SCOUT PROJECT IS MEMORABLE

By Matt Lebow. Printed with permission from the Lebanon Express

There are times when people need help remembering, and two Lebanon Girl Scouts are helping out with that.

Girl Scout Troop 20285 members Alyssa Breshears, 14, and Rachael Morris, 14, presented memory kits to the Edward C. Allworth Veterans Home as part of a project to earn their Silver Award project for scouts.

The memory kits are made up of several small items placed in snap-boxes, that are designed to trigger memories in patients. All the kits were donated to the Delta Ward, which is the memory care unit at the veterans home. Each kit is specifically themed, Alyssa said. For example, in one kit, there are classic cars and other items that may trigger memories for a resident who was a mechanic.

There's a pet kit, which could be used to trigger memories of a resident's pet, Alyssa said

Tuesday Sept. 1

A new grave marker for Noah Hubler, a veteran of the Indian Wars and former Milwaukie police chief, was dedicated on June 20.

"In the pet kit there's anything you need to take care of a pet," Alyssa said. "So they may say that's what I used to take care of a dog."

In doing this, Alyssa and Rachael are hoping to earn the Silver Award which is the second highest award in Girl Scouts and must be completed before scouts may pursue the Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts.

would love to create, but don't have the time to.

The goal for the kits is to have them become an ongoing project that anyone can donate to, Eddy said.

There are several ways the residents can use the kits, they may look through them through while wandering the halls, or if there's a kit that is specific to them that may be placed in the resident's room.

"If there's a car mechanic (here), we'll put it in their room," Eddy said.

As part of the silver award each scout is required to spend 50 hours on the project, and it must contain a leadership aspect to the project. The hardest part of the project for Rachael was public speaking, she said.

Other than the presentation at Veterans home, Rachael also had to speak to different service clubs in the area and ask for donations. The hardest part of the project for Alyssa was making sure that the items in the boxes weren't too dangerous for residents.

"Making sure that was the proper stuff, items that weren't hazardous, but fit the kit well," Alyssa said.

For example in the gardening memory kit, they had put gardening sheers in which were to sharp and heavy so they had to find an acceptable substitute.

"We chose to do our Silver Award project with the Lebanon Veterans Home making memory kits for the Alzheimer and Dementia residents," Breshears said.

"We started brainstorming ideas about what we can do to help our community."

"I'm glad I got to do this silver award with my best friend," Alyssa said. "It was a fun adventure"

The pair met with the veteran's home recreation director Megan Eddy to see what project they could pursue to help at the veterans home. Eddy said creating memory kits is a project that anyone in her position

After the silver award, the scouts can pursue a gold award that requires 100 hours of volunteer work, and must be worked on without assistance. 

Alyssa mother Tina Breshears was impressed with the work the girls did on the project calling it “a phenomenal job.”

Did you know ODVA has a home loan benefit just for veterans?

888-673-8387 | orevethomeloans.com 4

O R E G O N D E PA R T M E N T O F V E T E R A N S ' A F FA I R S

JAPANESE GOOD LUCK FLAGS RETURNED TO FAMILIES ASTORIA - Some aging veterans of World War II are hoping to complete one more mission. The object is to return Japanese flags taken as war souvenirs from Pacific battlefields to the families of the deceased soldier’s.

for him when a Canadian memorabilia collector's son returned one of these banners to Japan. The flag originally belonged to his wife Keiko's grandfather.

Its return in 2007 led to a moving reunion and sense of closure.

In late March an Astoria based non-profit group conducted a ceremony and made the first official public transfer of the flags in America.

That is what veteran Leslie “Buck” Weatherill wants for another family. “It was on a dead Japanese soldier,” Weatherill recalled. “The flag was in his pocket, sticking

The Japanese consulates in Portland, Seattle, and elsewhere have received dozens of inquiries from American veterans, their wives or children asking how to return war memorabilia. And now a Northwestbased nonprofit has sprung up.

hinomaru, which literally translated means “groupwritten Japanese flag.” It was traditionally presented to a serviceman prior to his deployment. Many decades later, the flags are considered the only connection the Japanese people have with their relatives killed in the war.

Weatherill said, “I feel the war is over. We're not enemies anymore, we're friends,” he said. “They should get the flag back.”

Many Japanese families have.

Rex and Keiko say the quest to reunite other families with these powerful mementos has occupied an increasing amount of their time ever since they were married in 2009. Keiko Ziak said their fledgling nonprofit is focusing on the United States for now, but she hopes to expand globally because the good luck flags have been carried, traded and sold around the world.

A Japanese-American couple based in Astoria, Ore., Rex and Keiko Ziak, co-founded the non-profit group OBON 2015 to facilitate the return of these flags. Rex Ziak said each “good luck” flag is, in most cases, the last surviving trace of that one individual, so a reunion should happen.

“This is not just about Japan, not just about America,” she said.

“In Japan there are still wives, children, and siblings who lost that person. But nothing ever came back.”

Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom that honors the spirits of one’s ancestors. In Japan Obon is a multi-week festival – a family reunion holiday.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF OBON

When they entered combat, young Japanese soldiers brought highly treasured flags with them.

The flags were a piece of home, with encouraging messages and comforting words in Japanese. The soldiers would often carry them into battle.

In some cases, if the American veteran has passed away, wives or children are attempting to return the flags. Jerry Bassett’s father fought as part of the 112th Cavalry in the Philippines. Now, decades later, “We decided to return it to its rightful owner, which is not us,” Bassett said.

For World War II veteran Leland “Bud” Lewis, it was the right thing to do.

Former Oregon 41st Infantry Division solider Les “Buck” Weatherill holds a Japanese flag he found during World War II. He will have OBON return it to the soldier’s family.

The Ziak’s non-profit group has organized a network of scholars, government workers, a veterans group and an association of Shinto priests to help trace the items back to their place of origin. Many of them pore over high resolution digital scans for clues. Once a family is identified, and with help from Japanese officials, the Ziak’s send the inscribed flags back to them at absolutely no cost.

A historian and author by profession, Rex Ziak said the significance of these war souvenirs became evident

out. I took it off him.”

The Japanese flag Weatherill had taken measured about three feet by two feet. Calligraphy bedecked the white spaces around the red center. They are personal messages from the soldier’s family and friends. Before and after the war this war prize was so common, it has an English name: a good luck flag.

The Japanese name for “good luck flag” is yosegaki

“Giving those flags back to the people who we took their family member will give them closure,” Lewis said. “It’s been 75 years; you can’t hate people forever.”

World War II veterans, now in their 90s, see it is a kind and civil act by an old enemy. It is also an emotional reminder of how fast time has gone by. All of these years later, the flags are often seen as the only connection the Japanese people have with their relatives killed in combat.

For more information or to contact the Ziak’s, go to their website at www.obon2015.com or email to contact@obon2015.com. 

YOU AREN'T ALONE Contributed by an Oregon Vietnam veteran who wished to remain anonymous but thought his story might help another veteran.

I was 19 at the time I left for Vietnam. I was alone and didn’t go over with anyone I knew, which made it even lonelier. When I volunteered I had that teenage dream that we got by watching old war movies on the big screen, where nobody was really hurt and nobody was actually killed. So in our minds we were invincible. We would come home to a hero’s welcome and with a chest full of medals - grandiose beliefs.

Little did we know what awaited us then or afterwards.

Once I stepped on to the soil of Vietnam, my small town, guarded life began to change. The noise, the heat hit me all at once. But still, this was the great American patriotic adventure - saving the down trodden and making their country free much like ours. God was on America’s side and our country could never be wrong.

America had never lost a war, and we would win this one too. We were right and we had the might, right?

Little did we know.

I was sent to an Infantry unit, even though I wasn’t trained, but the words of my Drill Sergeant kept running through my head, “everyone in the Army is a basic Infantryman.” They loaded me with equipment I had no idea how to use, and sent me to the tent I was to call home for the next year or so.

When I entered the tent I was treated like a leper.

I learned that if you are a newbie, you might not last very long. They guys had learned not to get close to

or trust you for a while. If you made it for the first few patrols or didn’t get anyone killed then they might let you into the fold.

After a month or so I met my best friend. We were together where ever we went. One day I went to the Battalion and when I returned I found out that he and the squad had went on a mission. He returned in a body bag.

After that day I didn’t care anymore. I sort of wandered in a haze. I knew that if I had been with him, I could have saved his life. I carried that guilt in my heart for many years. To tell the truth, I still do, and it has been 48 years. I have lived with it.

I admit that I have tried to commit suicide on a couple of occasions. The guilt, the shame, and the darkness of that day still haunt me.

However, one day, I sat and listened to another Vietnam Veteran and he uttered three words that made a difference in my life. Three magical words -- You aren’t alone.

I asked him to explain, and as he did, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

He asked me questions like, did you lose someone close to you while in country? Do you feel that it was your fault? Do you think that you could have saved them? Did you feel alone and without hope? Do

you feel that life isn’t important anymore? Mostly he wanted to know if I felt alone and if I felt that I was the only soldier who was ashamed of what I did. I believe that I was the only person that felt he did something (or didn’t) that harmed other people.

He told me not to answer these questions right then, but to meet him for coffee in a few days and then we could talk.

And we continued to talk for a long time after that.

One day he hit on something I had kept hidden in my heart of hearts. He asked whether I had ever hated my best friend. After my anger settled down, I admitted that I indeed held hatred for him. When asked why, it took me by surprise. I guess I hated him for leaving me, without saying goodbye.

My new friend told me to write a letter to my best friend. I could either tear it up or keep it in a safe place. I did write that letter and it was like light shining into my heart.

I don’t think that I will ever get completely over that loss or the feeling of betrayal by my country for doing what I felt was right, but I do feel better.

The darkness never goes away however I when I see some soldier struggling with emotions I pay it forward.

Like I said, those three words are magical.  SUMMER 2015

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W

orld War II was the largest and most violent armed conflict in the history of mankind. More than 400,000 Americans died; 292,000 in combat, and more than 670,000 were wounded.

Pearl Harbor, D-Day, Atomic Bombs, the Holocaust, Victory Gardens, V-E and V-J Days remain stark reminders of the Second World War. Even 70 years later, World War II continues to pique the interest of military scholars and historians, its veterans, and a generation of Americans mostly unaware of the political, social, and military implications of that war.

The war united Americans as a people with a common purpose. However, war on two fronts had been brewing for several years.

Since the 1930s, a battle front had been forming as war had begun brewing in Europe. It was then Germany’s dictator Adolph Hitler began an assault by attacking his European neighbors. The Nazi regime would eventually conquer or control much of continental Europe and form the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan.

For years the United States had chosen to remain neutral and not become involved in another country’s wars or conflicts. As war clouds formed in Europe, Americans wanted to keep it that way, but neutrality gave way to supporting America’s English allies when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the “LendLease Act” in March 1941. Lend Lease allowed the U.S. to send ammunition and other war supplies to England to defend their country against German aggression.

Roosevelt compared it to loaning a hose to a neighbor whose house was on fire.

The war in the Pacific was being staged more than a year before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor,

Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. By 1940 Japanese troops began occupying French Indochina (now Vietnam).

In response the U.S. ceased oil exports to Japan in July 1941. Tensions between both countries had heightened. With negotiations failing, on November 26 six Japanese aircraft carriers and other warships secretly departed northern Japan and set a course for Hawaii.

enemy’s supplies had dwindled and the German’s will to fight waned. The war in Europe was coming to a slow grinding halt in April.

After news of the surprise attack on the U.S. Naval fleet at Ford Island had reached the United States, “Remember Pearl Harbor” was becoming a rallying cry for Americans. Before the year was over, tens of thousands of men and some women stood in long lines at recruiting stations to join the military and prepare to fight on either war front.

In a country ravaged by war, the Nazi’s fate was mostly sealed with Hitler’s suicide on April 30th.

During April some 1.5

The terribly bloody and protracted battles occurring worldwide - in the air, on the high seas and on land caused a horrendous loss of life on all sides. Midway Island, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Normandy, Salerno, and Anzio became noted battlefields where hundreds of thousands of Americans fought and died.

War would rage on for more than t h re e y e a r s in both the Pa c i f i c a n d European theatres. By 1945, the

Before he would see the end of the war on April 12, President Roosevelt died. He had been America’s president since the Great Depression. Under the new president, Harry S. Truman, the country anticipated the war’s end.

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1941 A December 7 The Japanese launch a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

B December 8 Battle of Wake Island: Japanese forces attack hours after attacking Pearl Harbor.

1942 C April 3 Japanese forces begin assault on U.S. forces on Bataan Peninsula, Philippines.

D April 18 The Doolittle Raid: U.S. B-25 bombers, led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, bomb Japan.

E May 7 Japan suffers its first defeat of the war during the Battle of the Coral Sea near New Guinea.

F May 12 U.S. Troops on Mindanao, Philippines surrender which leads to the Bataan Death March.

G June 2 Battle of Aleutian Islands begins.

H June 3 Battle of Midway begins; Japan’s naval advance is halted.

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O R E G O N D E PA R T M E N T O F V E T E R A N S ' A F FA I R S

I August 2 Guadalcanal Campaign; the first major offensive by the U.S. against Japan.

R October 23 Battle of Leyte Gulf: U.S. wins possibly the largest Naval battle in WWII.

1943 J January 2 Allies take Buna, New Guinea.

1945 S February 19 Battle of Iwo Jima begins: More than 30,000 Marines are deployed, Four days later the U.S. flag is raised on Mt. Surabachi.

K May 11 U.S. invades Attu, Aleutian Islands.

L November 1 U.S. Marines invade Bougainville, Solomon Islands.

M November 20 U.S. Marines land on the island of Tarawa, Gilbert Islands.

N December 26 Allies and 1st Division Marines assault New Britain.

1944 O February 17 Battle of Eniwetok begins.

P June 15 U.S. Marine and Army forces invade the island of Saipan.

Q June 19 Battle of the Philippine Sea: Nicknamed the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot by the U.S.

T March 9 U.S. B-29s begin bombing of Tokyo.

U March 26 Battle of Okinawa; the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific war.

V August 6 U.S. drops an Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

W August 9 U.S. drops an Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.

X August 14 V-J Day: Allied victory over Japan is celebrated.

Y September 2 Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepts Japan’s unconditional surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

million German troops surrendered on Europe’s Western battle front alone, and by May 4th German troops had surrendered in four countries and several sections of Germany. On May 8th, the articles of surrender were signed and the American occupation of Europe began.

Worldwide celebrations ensued and New York City’s Times Square was a center of frenzied jubilation.

Within months that scene would be repeated.

When the Japanese government learned of

Germany’s surrender, they chose to defend an empire racked by bombing raids, famine and supply shortages of every kind.

A planned U.S. invasion of Japan was in motion, but not wanting to risk a great loss of American lives, the decision by U.S. political and military officials was to employ a powerful new secret weapon - the atomic bomb.

On August 6th the first bomb was dropped from an American B-29 bomber on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later another bomb found its target and destroyed Nagasaki. Yet, in an effort to “save face,” Japanese loyalists chose to fight on.

Despite an unwavering banzai mindset, Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announced to his nation, on August 15th, that Japan would surrender “in order to save mankind” from nuclear oblivion.

❼ ❽❺ ❹ ⓱ ⓰❻⓮❸ ❿ ❷ ⓫⓯⓳ ⓭ ❶ ❾

Back in America, it was 7 p.m. on August 14. Tens of thousands of people had gathered in towns and cities across the nation in eager anticipation of news that the war was over. When the lighted board on the New York Times Tower flashed the news: “Official–Truman announces

Japanese surrender,” a collective group of jubilant voices were heard again as they welcomed the news.

And around the country the news that the war was over was told in every community.

However, nearly lost in the wake of the celebrations and the return of millions of Americans from the war, were those reflecting somberly on their lost brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters.

Closer to home, Oregonians who had served during World War II slowly made their way to their hometowns. More than 152,000 Oregon citizens had served, but 3,772 Oregonians had died in battle zones worldwide.

The war had drawn Oregon into the fight with training facilities and the building of war ships and other weapons of war. Henry J. Kaiser's shipyards employed an estimated 100,000 workers who worked side by side in Portland and nearby Vancouver to build "Baby Flattops" and "Liberty Ships."

The U.S. Army built Camp Adair north of Corvallis and Camp Abbott, near what is now Sunriver, as trooptraining facilities that served thousands of recruits.

The Umatilla Army Depot near Hermiston became a sprawling repository for munitions. The Army also constructed hangars and airfields at Portland, Astoria, Newport, North Bend, and Floras Lake. The U.S. Navy built the Tongue Point Naval Station at Astoria and the Tillamook Naval Air Station.

Like hundreds of other camps, bases or facilities nationwide, today most of these locations and their structures around the state remain, or their aging remnants can be seen. They serve as a reminder of a war more than 70 years ago that brought the people of Oregon and our nation together. 

NITED. WWII 70 YEARS LATER. X

⓲

1944 ❽ January 22 Operation Shingle: Allies make amphibious assault at Anzio, Italy.

❷ July 4 USAAF’s 8th Air Force flies its first mission in Europe; bombs targets in the Netherlands.

❾ June 6 D-Day: Allied Forces land more than 155,000 troops in Normandy, France.

❸ November 8 “Operation Torch” - Allies invade North Africa.

1943 ❹ February 13 Battle of Kasserine Pass, Tunisia: The first major battle defeat of the war for the U.S. ❺ July 10 Allies invade Sicily. ❻ July 19 Operation Husky: Allied aircraft bomb Rome for the first time. ❼ September 3 Allies invade Italy.

❿ August 15 Operation Dragoon: Allied amphibious landings in southern France. ⓫ September 17 Operation Market Garden: Allied airborne troops land in the Netherlands, Germany. ⓬ August 25 Allies liberate Paris. ⓭ December 16 Battle of Bulge begins: One-quarter million troops invade an 85mile stretch of the Allied Front in Southern Belgium.

1945 ⓮ January 16 Battle for Rome: A costly series of four assaults by the Allies on Monte Casino, Italy. ⓯ February 13 Allied aircraft fire-bomb Dresden, Germany. ⓰ March 24 Operation Varsity: Allied forces cross the Rhine River forcing the German military to retreat.

EUROPEAN THEATER

1942 ❶ January 26 The first American forces arrive in the United Kingdom.

⓱ April 16 Battle of Berlin begins. ⓲ May 7 V-E Day: Victory in Europe is celebrated; Germany accepts the Allies’ terms of surrender. ⓳ May 8 Gen. Dwight Eisenhower accepts Germany’s unconditional surrender at Reims, France. Germany surrenders to Russia in Berlin.

SUMMER 2015

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weighing about 90 lbs.

The hunger was getting so bad, it was almost impossible to cut six pieces of bread to the exact size, so that in order to prevent a fight the person that cut the bread would hold the pieces in his hands behind his back and you told him which one you wanted, right hand or left hand. There had been some pretty nasty fights over food.

Escape from camp was unthinkable. When someone tried to escape and was not successful, he would be put in solitary confinement with only bread and water for several days. When someone had successfully escaped from camp he was usually caught and was brought back to camp in a wooden box that was put on display for everyone to see.

Pfc. Cor Longiotti

T

he following are excerpts from a book written

by World War II U.S. Army veteran and former prisoner of war Cor Longiotti, 92, of Ashland.

His personal memoir, “The Way It Was WWII,” describes his military training, landing on the shores of Italy, his capture by German troops and imprisonment in several POW camps.

Throughout the years many things have been forgotten, but there are some things that will never be forgotten. In the year of 1996, this is my account of what I can remember of my experiences while serving in the U.S. Army during WWII, in Co. D, 179th

of clothes. They were stiff with sea salt and from me sweating.

Through the fall of 1943, Private First Class Longiotti and the 179th fought more than the enemy. They battled very cold and wet weather conditions.

After almost two months of combat, fatigue had started to take its toll. After a few days of rest, on the 29th of October I went on sick call and found out that I had Yellow Jaundice, so I was transferred to a military hospital for ten days and then was transferred to a convalescent hospital in the city (Naples).

Later about seventy of us, gathered at the officer’s barracks just as the sun was setting ready to make a break through a 40 foot tunnel to the outside.

Everything was just perfect, a dark night with cloudy skies with no moon or stars. All that was left to do was to break upward through the ground at the end of the tunnel, when like a thud the bad news came.

The tunnel engineers had decided that the tunnel was about two feet short of the second fence and would come up between the two fences, so the whole episode was called off for two more days and we had to sneak back to our own barracks without being seen. It was a great disappointment.

Reportedly the next morning, after an English soldier from Scotland reported it, the Germans then broke down the tunnel and filled it in with dirt. And by the way, it was two feet past the second fence, just a miscalculation.

In May 1944 Longiotti and other prisoners were packed into boxcars for 3 days bound for Stalag VII-A in Mooseburg, Germany and later to Augsburg. Eventually

WAR: IT DOESN’T DETERMINE RIGHT OR WRONG-ONLY WHO IS LEFT Infantry during the years of 1943 through 1945. These accounts may not be exact sequential order, because of the time span that has elapsed, but they are to the best of my memory.

It started from my hometown of Greenville, Pa., to basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, to North Africa, to Sicily, to the beachhead at Salerno, Italy; to the beach head at Anzio, Italy, and finally as a prisoner of war in Italy and Germany. Then there was finally liberation and return trip home through France, to Boston and home to Greenville.

By June 9, 1943, the 45th Infantry Division, 179th Regiment, Company D was in a war zone readying for combat. They had landed on a hot day in mid-morning near Salerno, but the 179th had already battled the German army in Sicily.

The beach was partly secured when we went ashore in the second wave. I was carrying a back pack with supplies, a carbine and the .30 caliber water cooled machine gun - over 40 pounds, when we went into the waters of the Mediterranean up to our necks. Soon after landing we were engaged in some heavy fighting along the Sele River. This was my first experience in actual combat. I got my first glimpse at dead soldiers, both Americans and Germans. It was a horrible sight and there is nothing you can do to help.

Two weeks had passed since the battles began and supplies were running low. We met a lot of resistance from the enemy, but not enough to stop our advances, until we discovered that we were about two miles behind the German lines and completely surrounded.

However we had no choice but to keep on fighting and hold our positions.

By then the enemy had also completely cut off the 179th’s supply lines.

The Germans had a full force of troops and over 200 tanks facing us, while our tank units were held back by the heavy bombarding of enemy artillery. After 3 days of combat and we were running out of supplies and ammunition when our tanks broke through. The 179th lost 403 men killed, 121 were missing. Almost two months had passed since we had landed on the beach at Salerno, when we reached Piedimonte, and on Oct. 20th our regiment was finally withdrawn to rest for a few days. What a treat, hot food and a change 8

O R E G O N D E PA R T M E N T O F V E T E R A N S ' A F FA I R S

Longiotti later rejoined his unit and readied for an amphibious operation near Rome on the beaches at Anzio. The landings were carried out almost flawlessly.

German resistance was light and the Allies were about four miles inland by nightfall. Nearly a month later the Allied advance faced poor weather, rough terrain, and stiffening resistance. Eventually the 179th was surrounded

by German troops and tanks. From February 15-17 the Germans pelted the soldiers with bombs, artillery and machine guns. The 179th had lost half of their battalion.

My machine gun squad was dug in along a road and we were deserted during the night of 17 Feb. in no man’s land. We (4 soldiers) only had my .45 automatic pistol, a carbine and one rifle. We never knew that the Germans had broken through and were already behind us until it was too late. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere 5 German soldiers took us by surprise, coming from the rear with bayonets on their rifles and inches from our backs shouting ‘ROUST HANS IN DER LUFT’. As soon as I stood up a German soldier, like lighting, jumped in the foxhole and grabbed my pistol.

There were about 80 to 100 of us prisoners taken at this time. The weather was cold when they had us lined up for a head count and briefing in front of the aid station. Then I saw six (U.S.) P-51s making a sweeping turn and started diving toward us. We POWs all hit the ground. 3 planes fired at us. When we got up the German behind me never woke up. He was still sitting and hit in the chest. Thank God no POWs were injured.

Longiotti and the POWs were shipped to a large camp with prisoners from most Allied nations. It was surrounded by a high double chain link fence, barbed wire, and guard towers. Guards with German Sheppard dogs patrolled between the fences.

As for our food, if you want to call it that, it was barely enough to subsist on, consisted of a cup of coffee in the morning at least that is what they called it but it was hot, for lunch we got a cup of watery soup which you had to learn to eat. We never got a change of clothes, wearing the same clothes for 3 months. Water was not always available, we were limited. Almost everyone in camp had dysentery and Lice, sleeping on straw beds. I lost about 30 pounds,

formed into small work details they were taken downtown or to the airport to clean up the rubble leftover from damage inflicted by American and British bombers. Soon after, German interrogators asked Longiotti what he had done in civilian life.

I told them that I worked on a farm. We were transferred to a farm detail in Unterthurheim, a farming community of about 400 to 500 people southwest of Augsburg. There were eighteen of us prisoners in one large house, near the railroad tracks, where we slept on bunk beds, took our showers, shaved and washed our clothes, etc. but no meals.

Every morning we would go to the farmer’s house for breakfast then out in the fields to work. We came back for lunch, then back to work till supper time which usually was close to sundown. Our food was much better than camp food.

By Christmas 1944 life for these POWs had improved.

They had decorated a small tree and with some beer the guards had located, the men celebrated.

As the war lines drew closer, we could hear the shooting and artillery in the distance and we started to get excited knowing that the day of liberation was near. Our guards had orders to march us about 40 miles to Stalag V11-B. We did a lot of bargaining and refused to go till the guards agreed that we could stay and wait for our troops. On the 26 of April 1945, at 1:30 A.M. to be exact, the American Third Infantry Division arrived in town. As (previously) agreed, a German Sergeant gave me his revolver, which I still have as a souvenir.

It was a great day of rejoicing for us. Just to know that you are free after 14 months and 8 days is enough to make anyone jump for joy. It is difficult for anyone to imagine what it is like to be set free if you have never been in such a situation. It was like all of a sudden you have a completely new life and freedom to go where you wanted to, which is exactly what some of us did.

As a soldier and a prisoner of war, Longiotti and other former POWs were willing to fight and die for their country. One quote from his book may sum up the feelings for any POW or their family: “Dying for freedom is not the worst thing that could happen. But being forgotten is!!” 

BOMBER PILOT HOLDS NO GRUDGE FOR CAPTORS

W

orld War II was less than three months old when U.S. Army Air Corps dive bomber pilot Walt Haines and his gunner John Collins were surprised by a Japanese pilot while flying near the island of Sumba in the East Indies. Haines remembers that with only two shots, the enemy pilot was able to severely damage his Navy SBD-3 Dauntless and force the young pilot to land it on a damaged runway on the island.

With little to no control of his aircraft, Lt. Haines maneuvered around the runway, landed and ended up in some water on the edge of the island. He survived even after being thrown through his plane’s windscreen and having part of the plane land on top of him. With several broken bones, a ruptured spleen and other painful injuries, Collins held Haines’ head above the water and pulled him from the plane.

It was Feb. 10, 1942 – Haines’ 23rd birthday.

Eventually the two airmen were housed by Dutch nationals for three weeks so Haines could recover from the severe injuries that nearly took his life. The two were soon captured by the Japanese and placed inside a 12-by-6 foot cell with a dirt floor.

When they weren’t in their cell, the two airmen were being interrogated and beaten.

“John wasn’t beaten as much as I was,” Haines said.

“The Japanese hated American pilots, so did their best to try and kill me and I was beaten pretty badly on a regular basis.”

Haines and Collins remained on Sumba until March 1942 until they were moved to the island of Celebas, located south of Mindanao, Philippines and were held there until September 1943 when they were moved again. The men joined hundreds of other POWs as they were loaded down into the hold of a ship bound for the island of Java; a voyage that lasted about 7 to 10 days. Haines said there was no light, little food and no sanitation. “It was awful, but we held on. We survived.”

At Cycle Camp on Java about 7,000 prisoners were being held. As the camp’s new chief cook, Haines managed four kitchens and every day they cooked about 7,000 pounds of rice. There was very little else added to a prisoner’s diet, so Haines said he wasn’t afraid to steal from his captors. “I took meat, fruit and vegetables and gave it to the doctors at the hospital,” he said. “I don’t recall ever eating what I stole. We’d do anything to survive and harm them (the Japanese).”

Haines and six other prisoners had a secret – a small radio that his friend and fellow prisoner had made.

No one else knew about the radio, but the broadcasts told the lucky seven the war was nearing its end. Two weeks after the war officially ended, the prisoners were released on September 18. Haines commanded that first group of POWs from the camp as they journeyed by air to hospitals and rest camp in Calcutta, India.

After a two week stay the former POWs were headed with three stops along the way. Following a brief recuperative visit in a hospital in New York, Haines returned home to his family in Colorado and the girl he’d left behind. Within months he married Byrna, his bride for 65 years before she passed away five years ago.

In 1966 Haines was working for IBM as an engineer when he accepted a positon to work for one year in, of all places, Japan. It had been more than 20 years since the war had ended and Haines was philosophical with his choice to return to Japan. During his stay Haines said he happily learned that the Japanese of that era were very nice; a friendly respectful people.

After signing HB 2892, which requires the national POW/MIA flag be flown on public buildings, Gov. Kate Brown was thanked by former WWII POWs, Walt Haines (top right) and Cor Longiotti (bottom right) whose stories are featured in this issue.

POW-MIA FLAG BILL SIGNED BY GOVERNOR SALEM - Until n o w, f l y i n g t h e National League of Families POW/MIA flag on public buildings in Oregon has been optional, but state legislators and Gov. Kate Brown have agreed this must change. In a ceremony at the state capitol on June 18, the governor signed House Bill 2892, which will require the POW/MIA flag to be flown along with the U.S. and the Oregon flags on public buildings across the state.

C u r r e n t l y, t h e POW/MIA flag, which honors all prisoners The ceremonial first raising of the POW-MIA flag at the State Capitol. of war and military members missing in action, is required to Oregon with two POW/MIA flags and has been on a be flown on government buildings on six holidays campaign to remember POWs and those missing in annually. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Sal Esquivel, a action by flying the flag.

Vietnam vet from Medford, said very few agencies are Upon returning Crawford then learned that many complying with that requirement.

Oregon government institutions weren’t flying the The bill, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2016, flag even though it’s required six days a year. He then requires that government buildings that have the right provided Esquivel with endorsements from more than infrastructure in place to display the POW/MIA flag 57,600 veterans who supported flying the flag yearwill fly it. If a school or city building is being built or round in Oregon. remodeled, it would be required to install sufficient flag poles to handle the additional flag.

As a prisoner he had been beaten, starved and tortured by Japanese soldiers more than 20 years before, but Haines, now 96, said he didn’t hate the Japanese, although many of his fellows POWs still do.

Vietnam combat veteran Hugh Crawford of Central Point got the idea for this legislation in 2013 when he traveled by motorcycle from Los Angeles to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. as part of the Run for the Wall event.

“You can’t blame an entire race of people for what a few sadistic jerks did during the war. I had to reconcile myself to that.” 

During his trip Crawford learned that the flag was flown year-round in West Virginia. He thought that “Oregon can do this.” Crawford then traveled back to

After Brown signed the bill into law a group of supporters, including Crawford and other veterans, joined the governor as the flag was raised above the Capitol.

In 1990, Congress passed Public Law 101-355 that recognized the flag as symbolizing all prisoners of war and missing in action from all wars. Since World War II that total is now 83,342, including 28 from Oregon.

“We need to never forget them,” said Esquivel.  SUMMER 2015

9

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1: CREMAINS

State Tuberculosis Hospital, Mid-Columbia Hospital, Dammasch State Hospital, Oregon State Penitentiary, Fairview Training Center and other local hospitals.

Oregon State Hospital Superintendent Greg Roberts said it’s only proper that these veterans be interred in Willamette National Cemetery. It’s important to recognize them, not only for their service to our country, but also for the additional challenges they faced in life.

With the goal of reunifying these cremains with families, the Oregon State Hospital has posted online the list of names of the people whose cremated remains are in the possession of the hospital. The list of names is posted on the Oregon State Hospital website at www. oregon.gov/oha/amh/osh/Pages/cremains.aspx .

The names of the veterans and spouses whose cremains were interred include: Thomas A. Bond; Rollin Curd; Henry Gore; John Q. Howard; Arthur B. Hunter; Herman G. Kluedtke; Frank F. Moore; Curtis L. Oaks; Davis B. Parmenter; Matthew Ross, Jr.; Emma Roland, spouse of William G. Rowland; John W. Sevedge; Edward C. Shaw; Charles Sherwood; Harry N. Thompson; John Tooley; Lawrence C. G. VanWert; John A. Walters; Edna May Ward, spouse of James E. Ward, and Fred Warner. 

CONGRESS PASSES LAW CREATING VETERAN ID CARDS WASHINGTON -- A bill allowing all military veterans to receive official identification cards through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is on its way to the White House where President Obama signed it on July 20.

Approved by Congress on July 7, the creation of a veterans' identification card, will make it easier for veterans to prove military service without having to produce a military service record or some other valuable document.

Oregon veterans are able to officially identify themselves by having the word Veteran placed on their state driver’s license. To obtain this designation on their license veterans must bring their DD-214 to any department of motor vehicles office.

nationwide offer as thanks for their service”

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden was one of several senators who supported this congressional legislation.

The bill’s text references these kinds of benefits to veterans, but also notes its usefulness in proving veteran status “without having to carry and use official Department of Defense form DD–214 discharge papers.”

“This news is a step forward to honor all of our veterans here at home by simplifying the process for them to receive the privileges they have earned,” he said. “Veterans will now have an official veteran ID card that makes it so much easier for them to get access to the discounts that many businesses in Oregon and

Several states will be issuing veterans ID cards including Connecticut, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia, which retailers and restaurants will accept when offering

Retired service members have long been issued IDs. The VA issues ID cards to veterans who are enrolled in VA health care. 

ED DEPT. OFFERING HELP TO CORINTHIAN STUDENTS The federal government has launched some important changes to provide debt relief for students who have attended Corinthian schools that have closed.

More than 300 students in Portland at Heald College and 16,000 nationally were left in the lurch by the sudden shutdowns.

The collapse of the for-profit Corinthian Colleges, including Heald Colleges located in three states, has been especially difficult for Afghanistan and Iraq veterans who may well have lost their chance to earn a college degree, but also can’t get back tens of thousands in tuition covered by the GI Bill.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY SALUTES VETS Seventy years after the end of World War II the Greatest Generation will be remembered at the Oregon Historical Society, through December 7, with an original exhibition, World War II: A World at War, A State Transformed. The exhibition includes artifacts and manuscripts from the premier Mark Family Collection that illustrate this massive conflict, from the battlefields in North Africa to the home fronts in America.

Letters, historic documents, and military uniforms provide a sense of place and give visitors a lens into the many events of that war, including prominent battles and critical political decisions.

The exhibit will also focus on Oregon, a state that was transformed during the mid-twentieth century.

Items drawn from the Historical Society's archives will tell the stories that dramatically changed Oregon, including the operation of the Kaiser shipyards, the internment of Japanese Americans, and the fact that the only World War II combat casualties to occur in the continental U.S. were in Oregon as a result of the balloon bomb.

Some of the featured artifacts include: President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points for Peace; the Enigma Machine-the Nazi coding device; a log of Japan’s attack at Pearl Harbor; a Royal Air Force uniform; a ring from the balloon bomb; shrapnel from Fort Stevens and more.

The Historical Society is located in Portland at 1200 S.W. Park Ave. For more information go to: http://ohs.org  10

O R E G O N D E PA R T M E N T O F V E T E R A N S ' A F FA I R S

Congress is working to institute a bail out for these veterans. If Congress does act to help these veterans, it would have to determine which Corinthian veterans would qualify to have the benefits reset, since many attended campuses that were sold and not closed or left the school before the collapse, some without completing a program. The costs could be substantial since veterans are eligible for up to about $20,000 annually in tuition reimbursement in addition to other costs.

In a letter to VA Director Robert A. McDonald in May, signed by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and nine of senators, VA was asked to assist these veterans. In part it states, "We are working to give the VA additional authority to provide meaningful relief to student veterans receiving GI Bill benefits who have been

harmed by a school closure, and we urge you to work with us toward that common goal - most urgently assuring that these student veterans are not harmed further by Corinthian’s misconduct.”

A representative from Wyden’s office said that as of mid-July, the VA had not responded.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill that began in 2009 has paid out $52 billion for tuition, books and housing to 1.4 million of this generation’s veterans and their dependents. However, once GI Bill dollars have been spent, they are non-refundable. And under current law, the VA says it doesn’t have the authority to reset GI Bill benefits, even in cases where a college has closed and students can’t transfer their credits.

That has also left these veterans without a school and cut off from the housing allowance to pay their rent.

The last Corinthian schools abruptly closed this past spring just days after receiving a $30 million fine by the Education Department for misrepresentation of job placement rates. 

U.S. COAST GUARD CELEBRATES 225 YEARS One of the oldest organizations of the federal government is celebrating its 225th birthday on August 4th. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) was founded on Aug. 4, 1790 as part of the Department of the Treasury and has safeguarded our Nation’s maritime interests and environment around the world.

Its mission also supports lifesaving efforts during severe hurricanes and flooding or other natural disasters.

Until Congress established the Navy Department in 1798, the Coast Guard served as the nation’s only armed force afloat. The Coast Guard protected the nation throughout its long history and served in every one of the nation’s wars and conflicts.

In Oregon the Coast Guard has helicopter air stations in Astoria, Newport and North Bend; Motor Life Boat Units in Tillamook Bay, Depoe Bay, Yaquina Bay, Siuslaw River, Coos Bay, and the Chetco River, and seasonal stations on the Coquille River and Rogue River. 

One of the USCG’s most pivotal roles, especially along America’s coastlines, is air-sea and air-land rescue.

In keeping with its motto Semper Paratus, or Always Ready, the Coast Guard remains a responsive maritime military force. During peace time it operates as part of the Department of Homeland Security to enforce the nation’s laws at sea, protecting the marine environment and the nation’s vast coastline and ports.

At the direction of the president, the Coast Guard also serves as part of the Navy Department in support of America’s national defense.

County Veteran Service Offices

‘45

COMMUNITY EVENTS “Spirit of ‘45” Commemoration with the 234th Army Band Oregon’s “Spirit of '45” Commemorative Concerts, featuring the 234th Army Band," celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII - VJ Day, Aug. 14 - and honor the legacy of the 'Greatest Generation’. Concerts: Aug. 9-15 in six cities.. Contact: Barb, 503-910-4593, www.spiritof45.org or www. music.army.mil/organizations/ click on 234th Army Band logo.

Willamette Valley Women’s Military League Fall membership meeting at Newport Seafood Grill, Hawthorne and

Market St., Salem, on September 8, at 11 a.m. No-host lunch: 12 p.m. Women veterans who were non-commissioned and commissioned officers, and female family members of these veterans, are eligible to join. The organization wants to unite women veterans for social, benevolent and educational purposes. Contact: Nelda Allegar, 503-831-0298

Astoria Veterans-Military Appreciation Day This public event includes veterans service officers, information booths, live entertainment, and guest speakers, September 26, 12 p.m. to 5 pm, at the Moose Lodge 420 17th St. Free BBQ for veterans and active military with ID. Contact: Katheryn, 503-741-5598, www.lodge408.moosepages.org Portland Metro Veterans Connection Join veterans in the Portland Metro area on the 1st Wednesday of each month, at 6 p.m., and be part of a "community" of fellow veterans. Meet at 5600 NE Glisan St. Contact: Patti, 971-998-7362, http://pmvc.weebly.com/ American Women Vets’ Assoc. in Douglas Co. Female veterans from all US service branch/eras are invited to

meet, become better informed, do service projects, and enjoy camaraderie. Monthly meeting is the 2nd Tue., 5 p.m., with a quarterly potluck at the Roseburg American Legion Post 16, 406 SE Oak St. Contact: Dona Brewer, 541-391-9813

Baker .................... 541-523-8223 Benton ................. 541-758-1595 Clackamas ........... 503-650-5631 www.clackamascvso.com Clatsop ................. 503-791-9983 Columbia .............. 503-366-6580 www.columbiacvso.com Coos ...................... 541-396-3121, Ext. 362 Crook ..................... 541-447-5304 Curry ..................... 866-298-0404 www.currycvso.com Deschutes ............ 541-385-3214 Douglas ................ 541-440-4219 Gilliam .................. 541-384-6712 www.tricountyvso.com Grant .................... 541-575-1631 www.grantcvso.com Harney ................... 541-573-1342 www.harneycvso.com Hood River ........... 541-386-1080 Jackson ................ 541-774-8214 Jefferson .............. 541-475-5228 Josephine.............. 541-474-5454 www.josephinecvso.com Klamath ............... 541-883-4274 www.klamathcvso.com Lake ..................... 541-947-6043 www.lakecvso.com Lane ..................... 541-682-4191 www.lanecvso.com Lincoln ................. 541-574-6955 Linn ...................... 800-319-3882 Malheur ................ 541-889-6649 Marion ................... 503-373-2085 www.marionpolkcvso.com Morrow ................. 541-922-6420 Multnomah .......... 503-988-8387 Polk ....................... 503-373-2085 www.marionpolkcvso.com Sherman .............. 541-565-3408 www.tricountyvso.com Tillamook ............. 503-842-4358 www.tillamookcvso.com Umatilla ................ 541-278-5482 www.umatillacvso.com Union .................... 541-962-8802 www.unioncvso.com Wallowa ................. 541-426-3155, Ext. 241 Wasco .................. 541-506-2502 Washington .......... 503-846-3060 www.washingtoncvso.com Wheeler................. 541-763-3032 www.tricountyvso.com Yamhill ................. 503-434-7503 www.yamhillcvso.com

Rick Gloria Mary Newman Janice Tayfoya Luke Thomas Russell Clark Eric Gleason Angela Gilley Tony Vouday Keith Macnamara Pat Plouard Bryan Hunt Erin Osgood Guy McKay Les Logsdon Bob Carson Tom Weiss Lisa Pickart Kathy Pierce Charles Pike Joseph Reiley John Reed Kim Grooms Connie Tanaka ODVA Linda Skendzel Eric Ensley ODVA Bryan Hunt Bill Hatton Stan Getz Byron Whipple Charlie Neveau Russell Jones Vicki Horn Bryan Hunt Jerry Wilson

Advisory Committee to the ODVA Since the Advisory Committee was established in 1945, it has held a distinct and fundamental role as advisors to the Director of ODVA. Advisory Committee members include: Tony García Dennis G. Guthrie Al Herrera , Chair

J. Ryan Howell Michael Jones Trisa E. Kelly

Gerard F. Lorang Mary J. Mayer Kevin J. Owens

To contact the Advisory Committee, please email vaac@odva.state.or.us or call 503-373-2383.

Vietnam 25th Infantry Div., 1st Air CAV Vets Meet All veterans are welcome to meet for lunch and conversation on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at Superking Buffet, 5105 SE 82nd Ave., Portland. Contact: Gary Hartt, 503-632-6955

Douglas County Veterans Monthly Forum

Veteran organization leaders discuss and develop common support issues for all veterans in SW Oregon. Briefings from VA Roseburg Healthcare Systems, county veteran service officer and veteran's agencies. Monthly meetings: 5 p.m., third Tue. at the Roseburg American Legion Post 16, 406 SE Oak St. Contact: Rick Sciapiti, 541-957-1374

VETERANS DAY Do you want to include your community Veterans Day event in the next edition of Vets News?

October 9 is the submission deadline.

To submit go to www.oregon.gov/ODVA/pages/Events.aspx and click on the event submission link.

Public Meetings of the Advisory Committee to the ODVA

Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. to noon Hermiston Chamber of Commerce 415 S Hwy 395, Hermiston, OR 97838 Meetings of the Advisory Committee are public meetings held quarterly.

Please contact 503-373-2383 for more information or connect online at www.oregon.gov/odva/Pages/advisory.aspx. Special needs will be met for those who have a disability with 24 hour notice.

Connect with ODVA Benefits, Services and News Statewide Veteran Services (Salem) ................. 503-373-2085 Statewide Veteran Services (Portland) ............. 503-412-4777 Home Loans ........................................................ 888-673-8387 Oregon Veterans' Home (The Dalles) ................ 541-296-7190 Oregon Veterans' Home (Lebanon) .................... 541-497-7265 Conservatorship Services ................................... 503-373-2391 Website and E-subscribe to Info......................... www.oregon.gov/odva Facebook ............................................................. www.facebook.com/odvavet Blog ...................................................................... www.oregondva.com SUMMER 2015

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