Veterans Tab 2013

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We Honor All Our Veteran's

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Cascio: ‘Tomorrow is promised to no one’................6-9 Benda: Recruiting younger VFW members ........10-12 Walker: ‘I’m walking in a lot of bootprints’.........13-15

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Serving Farmer & Ranchers for 74 Years (1939-2013)


Castro continues to serve the community

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LARRY MEYER

others in his community. Born in Texas, Castro came to NYSSA Malheur County with his family as they worked in the fields, startouis Castro served in the ing in 1953 when he was 12. He Army back in the 1960s, but and his family stayed at the Adrian his service did not end with Labor Camp in the spring and his discharge. summer. After the field work was At 73, Castro continues to help done in the Treasure Valley, the other veterans, his neighbors and family would go back to Texas and pick cotton. There were eight Louis Castro stands in front of the flag members in the family, three boys pole at his home between Nyssa and and three girls, as well as their parAdrian. Castro has been flying the flag ents, he said, and at the labor for many years, and to express their appreciation Mark and June Hartley pre- camp, their home was a 12-by-14sented Castro with a flag which had been foot cabin, with no heat or air conflown over the U.S. Capitol building. ditioning. The children slept on ARGUS OBSERVER

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HONORING THOSE WHO SERVE

OUR MISSION: Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida was created to provide Veterans and Active Duty Personnel of the Armed Forces of the United States of America a voice; and to support, honor, recognize and advocate for their needs as members of our Communities, States and Country.

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LARRY MEYER. | ARGUS OBSERVER


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shape,” he said. He is now retired, but Castro remained stateside Castro remains as his health during his tour of duty, he allows. He has been a member 4 said, but was involved in of the American Legion Post training troops who were be- 79 for about 27 years and ing sent to Vietnam. That in- served as Post Commander cluded discipline and learning from 1985 to about 1990 and how to take orders. was assistant commander for This was at a time when the American Legion District 10, Vietnam war was ramping up, which includes, Nyssa, Vale, LARRY MEYER | ARGUS OBSERVER and the draft age had been Ontario, John Day, Prairie Here, Louis Castro, front, participates as a member of the Honor Guard dur- lowered to 18, so a lot of the City, Mount Vernon and ing Memorial Day ceremonies in 2012 at the Nyssa River Park. The ceremo- troops were younger than he Dayville. ny honors U.S. military personnel lost at sea. was. During his tenure as Post Castro had just six months Commander, Castro received bunks, and the parents slept on ceived his draft notice, with a mattress on the floor. President Kennedy’s signature left before his discharge, so he awards for recruitment of was kept in the United States. new members and retention When he was 15, Castro on it. He went to basic train“I came back to work at of existing members, and he started working at the hop ing at Fort, Ord., Calif., and Okai farms,” Castro said, and continues participating in yard, which was located along then was sent to Fort Hood, Enterprise Avenue, southwest Texas, where he was assigned stayed there until Tom Okai, honor guards for funerals of Sr. retired. Castro worked veterans and at Memorial Day of Nyssa, at the time. to the First Armored there for 33 years straight and ceremonies. Although the family settled Division. He was part of the since he still helps out there, it Castro is always ready to in Malheur County in 1957, heavy weapons platoon and help his neighbors and other there was no school, as he had was a gunner on 81-mm mor- has been a total of 51 years. to help support the family. tars. During his roughly two Castro said he went to school years in the Army, Castro was for three of the months they cited as the “best infantrywere in Texas, but went no man” out of 200 soldiers. further than the fifth grade. Although he had little educaAt 20 or 21, he got a job at tion, Castro said he was in Okai Farms, an association good physical condition and that continues today, as he was able to read, so he could helps maintain the landscap- pass the tests given by the ing at the Okai residence. Army. “(Having worked in We Salute Those In August 1963, Castro refarming), I was in good

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Castro stands next to the cabin he and his family lived in when they stayed at the Adrian Labor Camp. Castro had the cabin moved from the camp to his place. It is now fixed up to include insulation, heating and air conditioning, things it did not have originally.

people in the community. now sits behind his home, all As far as that cabin at the la- fixed up with insulation, heatbor camp: He bought it and it ing and air conditioning.

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LARRY MEYER | ARGUS OBSERVER


‘Tomorrow is promised to no one’ 6

Joining the Army is all part of life’s plan for Ontario grad

Ontario High School in 2007. She had not originally planned on enlisting. She had CHERISE KAECHELE once considered going into ARGUS OBSERVER the Navy but decided it wasn’t for her. ntario grad Jaclyn Instead, Cascio got her assoCascio is preparing for ciates degree from Treasure a big change in her Valley Community College life. Recently discharged (Nov. then transferred to George 8) Cascio is flying to New Fox University in Newberg, Zealand for a five-month Ore., to complete her bachelor through-hike from one end of of arts degree in psychology. that country to the other. Her path, she had planned, Cascio, 25, graduated from was to graduate high school,

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go to college, get her degree and continue in psychology. “I’d love to say I decided to join the Army because of the benefits, the education, the medical care, etc., but that’s honestly just how I justified it when I told everyone,” Cascio said via email. “I did it because I wanted to. I was working a graveyard shift at one of the jobs I worked at the time. I was wondering what I would do next and it just kind of hit me. I started researching and

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Cascio, 25, graduated from Ontario High School in 2007. She is now planning a five-month trek through New Zealand after she is discharged.

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Note: Jaclyn Cascio, an Oregon native, is making her way to New Zealand after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on Nov. 8. We caught up with her via email and she shared her experience of making her decision to join the Army, going through boot camp, being stationed in Kuwait and contemplating her future after the Army.

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Jaclyn Cascio became a medic while she was in the Army. She had 16 weeks of training then was later deployed to Kuwait.

some pride that comes with knowing what you are training for. And I cannot begin to describe the bond you develop with all those around you. Suffering together through such an initiation into the military brings people together in a way I can’t explain. If someone offered me a chance to go back to basic training with the exact same group of people, I’d do it. Mind you, I’d do it with them, and

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no one else. “We carried our weapons everywhere, we conducted marksmanship training, 7 threw live grenades, did several ruck marches culminating in a final 11 mile ruck march after our final field problem. We ate Meals Ready to Eat, practiced clearing rooms and moving through enemy territory, and were punished together. After it’s all done though, you feel like a real soldier, a part of something bigger than yourself.” After basic training came Advanced Individual Training in which everyone goes to their bases and schools to learn the job they signed up for. In Cascio’s case, it was medical training. Cascio traveled to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in San Antonio, with more than 100 people. She had to wait four weeks for a class to open up. During that time, she had to clean barracks, had cleaning details and some medical training to help certify instructors, she said. Then her 16 weeks of medic training began. “The first half of that time was ‘death by Powerpoint’ as we called it,” Cascio said via email. “We conducted our civilian Emergency Medical Technician training, testing, and finished with our handson testing and National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. After that, we moved to the military medical side of training, battlefield medicine, ARGUS OBSERVER, SUN., NOV. 10, 2013 / INDEPENDENT ENTERPRISE, WED., NOV. 13, 2013

by morning I figured that was the thing for me. I wish I could say there was a better reason — I wanted to be part of something bigger, protect my country, etc., but the reality is that I was struck with the idea out of the blue and it stuck. To me, that’s always a God thing. We all make plans, but he redirects us as he sees fit if we know how to listen. I know now that feeling is God pushing. “The Army seemed to be the right fit for me. It offered more benefits and the ability to choose the job I wanted,” Cascio said. She researched further and found out that the Army would pay back her federal student loans, which was quite a large sum due to the private college tuition. The Army would also give her a bonus for joining with a college education and provide tuition assistance for further education pursuits. All this in addition to medical and dental benefits firmed up the decision for Cascio. Cascio traveled to Fort Jackson, S.C., her first trip across the country, to begin basic training. “It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Cascio said. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not exactly fun getting yelled at all the time by drill sergeants, having a ‘battle buddy’ everywhere you go, conducting training regardless of the weather and measuring time passing by what meal came next. However, there is


“Some friends and I mixed up the snow, went outside and had a snowball fight on Christmas day when it was 80 degrees out,” she said. “When you’re far from home, you make family where you are.” During that time, she decided to do a Bataan Memorial Death March in Kuwait, as well. The Bataan Memorial Death March is an annual commemoration to honor the survivors of a special group of World War II soldiers. These soldiers defended the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines. In 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers surrendered to Japanese soldiers. Those POWs were marched for days through the Philippine jungles. The annual commemoration

Cascio had not initially intended to join the Army. She planned on receiving her BA degree in psychology from George Fox University. However, now she has absolutely no regrets and has experienced some life-changing events. SUBMITTED PHOTO

offers a 14- to 26-mile route to honor those soldiers who did not survive the march and the soldiers who did survive. Some medics in Cascio’s unit were going to join, so she did as well. Cascio marched 26.2 miles in sand and wind and sun. “I had blisters on top of blisters and my hands swelled up so big,” she said. “I could hardly walk when it was done. But I was proud to have completed it, and I have an appreciation for that Death March so long ago.” “Although it may not always have seemed fun at the time, looking back, I see it so fondly,” she continued of her time in the Army. “I have seen how much I’ve grown since then and what kind of person I have become. So what would look like the toughest times to an outsider probably became my best memories.” Cascio said she has lived her life with no regrets so far, and that includes the Army. “I have learned to do things that most people will never understand. I have served my country. When they say less

than 1 percent of the population ever does so. I am a veteran now with friends all over the country and an understanding of those who defend our country. I wouldn’t do a single thing different. Despite the bad days and struggles, the Army became a part of me, and I will always carry some of that with me.” Cascio’s strength and confidence in life shows. Though the military may be predominantly a male career, she didn’t feel any different as a woman and didn’t feel she was treated differently. “Some tried to do ‘female only’ meetings, mentorship programs, etc. I sometimes resented those because I felt like we were then setting ourselves apart,” she said. “If the men didn’t draw attention to the fact that we were female, then why did we have to? In general, I felt that we were all working at a job, in the same uniform, and I always felt like I was treated that way... as a soldier first...The only point of contention that ever really came up that I saw was the physi-

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trauma wounds, etc. We spent weeks dragging our casualties around outside, bandaging fic8 tional wounds, giving IVs, etc. In the end, we spent two weeks at Camp Bullis, a culminating field event putting into play everything we had learned during our time and playing some war games. It was hot and miserable and some of the most fun I ever remember having.” She was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, for a little more than a year until her unit was deployed to Kuwait for 12 months. Cascio recalls her parents sending her fake snow while in Kuwait.


“It was amazing,� she wrote. “D.C. makes the U.S. tangible — memorials and monuments making history seem alive and the country more than just a piece of land. And going as a soldier to places like Arlington, like the World War II Memorial, the wall we all know... I felt a sense of awe because I was representing what all those men had represented. I was a part of the same organization, and I had the right to salute the flag because of that choice. Arlington seemed very much to be a hallowed ground and it felt as such.� Cascio has had many memorable experiences in the Army. She has been working on her bucket list consistently the last few years as well,

crossing off many of the items listed. Traveling to New Zealand and trekking the next five months is one of those items. She also plans to climb the mountain depicted as Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings. She plans to write a book about her experience, also on her bucket list, and after that, who knows? “I’m constantly adding things and crossing things off,� Cascio said. “Too many people wait until they are given a death sentence before they start living. I refuse to be one of those people wondering ‘what if.’ Tomorrow is promised to no one, and that’s how I want to live.� One of her favorite quotes she has come across is, “the

most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself 9 the freedom to do it later.� Cascio said she is definitely a different person from who she was four years ago. “Down to my foundations, I am still the same. I hold the same beliefs, same faith, same personality. However, the military brings out certain traits, encourages them, defines them. Some of those traits in myself I wasn’t comfortable with and it became a main reason I got out. I wasn’t being the best person I could be. But some traits the Army grew did make me better, stronger, wiser. And in some ways, I do see the world differently.� ARGUS OBSERVER, SUN., NOV. 10, 2013 / INDEPENDENT ENTERPRISE, WED., NOV. 13, 2013

cal fitness test. Female passing standards are lower than males. Our bodies are not built the same, and many are not capable of male standards. And there was always some heckling going on with that — but never malicious. Always in good fun in my experience. Physical prowess is the only time that differences were really noted between males and females... but that same jesting occurred when someone was smaller or skinnier. It wasn’t about gender, it was just about strength capability. I never felt like I was less than any man.� During her rest and recuperation in the spring of 2012, Cascio decided to travel to Washington, D.C.

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I invite Malheur County Veterans and their survivors to contact my office for assistance or questions about Veteran Benefits.


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We Salute

WILLIAM LOPEZ | ARGUS OBSERVER

VFW Post 2738 Commander Duane Benda plays Santa Claus during the 2012 Christmas party for the 116th Idaho National Guard. The event was coordinated and hosted by the Payette VFW post with contributions from multiple community members and businesses.

Payette Branch 216 South 16th Street Payette, ID 83661 208-642-6997

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Our Veterans


Duane Benda is more than just a statistic 11

WILLIAM LOPEZ ARGUS OBSERVER

PAYETTE

uane Benda is no stranger to service. The 67-year-old Payette resident is a member of various community groups, including the Weiser Elks Lodge and Payette Eagles Lodge. For several years now, he also has been a member of another group that few qualify for — the Veterans of Foreign Wars, an organization that requires that a veteran has served overseas during an operation or conflict. “Vets that have been overseas and served in (a combat zone) make up less than one percent of the population of the United States,� Benda said. “We’re a very elite group, and that makes our voting message tough in Congress unless you’re joined together.� Benda is a Texas native, but he spent much of his life in California. He served twice in Vietnam as a member of the Navy’s construction battalion, the Seabees. During the Vietnam conflict, Seabees built necessities, such as entire camps for Special Forces units, schools, roads, hospitals and several other facilities and needed structures. “I had a brother in the Army and an-

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Duane Benda moments before a Payette VFW Post 2738 meeting. Benda is the post’s commander and has been spending much of his time recruiting younger veterans.

Duane Benda during Naval basic training. This photo was taken in July 1966 when Benda was 19 years old.

other in the Air Force,� Benda said. “I was a typical kid and knew I was going to Vietnam, so I just threw in my reins and volunteered.� Benda spent three years in the Navy after receiving an early discharge for timein-country, he said. “Spent two years pounding nails,� Benda said. After returning to the States, he

worked for a construction contractor for about five years before going into business for himself, something he still does to this day. He has now been self-employed for over 40 years. Benda wasn’t self-employed for long before he began to serve his nation once more, but this time it would be aiding veterans like himself when he joined the VFW.

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WILLIAM LOPEZ | ARGUS OBSERVER


WILLIAM LOPEZ | ARGUS OBSERVER

Duane Benda and members of Payette’s VFW Post 2738 salute the flag while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of a recent meeting.

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but there’s one item in particular that he said is a reason for any qualifying vet to join. “Camaraderie – there’s no other organization where you could find this type of camaraderie,” Benda said. “It’s hard to explain to somebody what it was like to be shot at or having been to war – it’s not a good feeling. Here, we understand what that’s like, and it makes us a unique and close organization.”

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ARGUS OBSERVER, SUN., NOV. 10, 2013 / INDEPENDENT ENTERPRISE, WED., NOV. 13, 2013

“I joined the VFW as a vehicle to meet people and become involved in the commu12 nity and it worked,” Benda said. “It still works well.” Benda eventually moved to Idaho where he became the VFW commander for the Weiser VFW post for two years, he said. Currently, Benda is the Payette VFW Post Commander and devotes much of his time increasing the post’s presence in the area, he said. Much of what he’s been doing the past several months is to recruit younger members from the most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said. This is vital due to the daily deaths across the nation of VFW members from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The push for newer and younger members locally has been slow-going, Benda said, but numbers are increasing. Public service, ensuring veterans receive the care they may need, being involved with the community and more are all reasons Benda is so passionate about the VFW,


‘I’m walking in a lot of bootprints’ 13

Vale teen hopes to make a difference in National Guard CHRISTINA MARFICE

Vale High School. With special permission from her parONTARIO ents, she enlisted in the National Guard in July. She ith a father in the Army and a grand- currently spends one weekend each month doing drills at father in the National Guard, a military ca- Gowen Field in Boise. After reer never seemed far-fetched she graduates, she’ll have to Vale resident Billie Walker. about three weeks to spend at “They all supported me be- home before she leaves for basic training in Oklahoma, folcause ever since I was little, ever since I was old enough to lowed by advanced individual training in Arizona. All told, talk, I wanted to go into the just the two rounds of trainmilitary,” she said. ing will take almost a full year. Walker, 17, is a senior at ARGUS OBSERVER

W

Billie Walker, a senior at Vale High School, has been in the National Guard since July, doing drills one weekend each month. She leaves for basic training shortly after her graduation.

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We honor those who have so bravely served this country.

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While her friends are applying to schools and struggling to find ways to finance their higher education, “It’s nice because I have at least 30 weeks after graduation planned out,� Walker said. But she admitted that she’s a little bit nervous about her post-graduation plans. “The biggest challenge for me has been getting past the anxiety,� she said. “Kids aren’t really in control of their lives, and I’ve just signed more control away.� And Walker really is still a kid. She said she often goes out in uniform during drill weekends in Boise and is met with surprise from strangers because of how young she is. “First they say, ‘Oh my gosh,

you’re so young,’� she said, “but then they thank me. It’s been hard to get used to how grateful people are. It’s just overwhelming. You don’t feel worthy that these people are thanking you. I’m just doing my job. I’m just doing what I’ve always wanted to do.� Just a few months into her senior year, Walker is a member of the Vale High School mock trial team and plans to run track in the spring. She’s busy but said she likes it that way. “School, the National Guard, my senior project, and my social life — it’s just a juggling act,� she said. “But I guess that’s good practice for life.� Walker’s senior project is building a memorial at Vale

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Walker is making the most of her last months in Vale, where she’s spent her entire life. Walker hopes her military career will allow her to see the world, but she especially hopes to see the Mediterranean because of her longtime interest in Greek mythology and because, she said, she’s always looked up to the gladiators. She also plans to use her GI bill money to attend college and hopes to someday work for the FBI. She’s laying the groundwork, working as an intelligence analyst for the Guard. “My entire life, I’ve wanted to make a difference, but I’d make a pretty crappy doctor,� she said, laughing. “So I think the best way I can do it is through the military.�

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Tanaka helping veterans receive their benefits CHRISTINA MARFICE

veteran’s family.� Tanaka was born and ONTARIO raised in Ontario and onnie Tanaka hopes graduated from the to meet every veter- Ontario School District. He obtained a degree in an in Malheur County. Since 2011, Tanaka general studies from Treasure Valley has worked as Community the Veterans College before — Service Officer unsure of what he for the county, wanted to do — working with he joined his faveterans and ther’s business their families to cleaning carpets help secure their and upholstery. benefits for “My dad asked healthcare, edume if I wanted to cation and pentake over the busisions, among Tanaka ness and I said others. no,� Tanaka said. “I enjoy the “So he told me to work immenselook into the milily,� said Tanaka, who is a tary. That was his advice.� veteran himself. “There’s Tanaka enlisted in the not a better feeling than Army in 1983. He spent helping out a veteran or a ARGUS OBSERVER

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541-889-3550 t 812 SW 4th Ave. Ontario (Next to the new Rite-Aid)

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High School for all of its students who have gone into military service. “There have been a lot of servicemen and women from Vale,� she said. “I want to remind people that freedom isn’t free and there have been a lot of people just from here who have fought for it.� So far, Walker’s project binder contains a stack of pages of hundreds of names for the memorial. She said many people have made it a point to contact her to add their names to the list and to tell her stories of their own service. “It just reminds me that I’m walking in a lot of bootprints,� Walker said. While she likens the military to “finding a place to belong,�


that allows him to talk to veterans, hear their stories, and continue giving back after his long career in the military, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable. “I’ve heard stories from vets that their families have never heard,� he said. “The best part is helping those people out.� But the job is not without its challenges. “The biggest challenge is when a veteran is lacking documents,� Tanaka said. “They were lost or destroyed or just disappeared over the years. The majority of times, those claims are denied.� Tanaka is able to work with veterans to go through alternate channels if they are missing documents; for example, they can seek a “buddy statement,� which is a signed witness statement from a fellow service member who was present for an event that is leading the veteran to seek benefits. He also works with older veterans to help them craft lay statements, which can be used instead of certain documents.

“I sit down with them and interview them and just say, ‘Tell me your story,’� he said. “I ask them about things like what happened and when, whether they received any awards, and usually we can put together the picture of why they’re filing these claims. It’s hard sometimes for the vet to get that across.� Tanaka also works to educate veterans about their rights to their benefits. Some companies, he said, will help veterans secure their benefits, but will charge to do so. “Vets should never pay for any assistance getting their VA benefits,� Tanaka said. “They just have to give me a call.� Tanaka also added that there are many benefits

available, and many veterans may be eligible for some they don’t know about. He encourages everyone who has ever served to visit his office, just to check. “I’m just now seeing some veterans from Vietnam and World War II,� he said. “I want the vets to come and see me and see if they’re eligible — all of them. A lot of them just don’t know.�

To reach Tanaka Tanaka can be reached at (541) 889-6649 His office is located at 316 N.E. Goodfellow Street, Suite 4 in Ontario. Office hours are MondayThursday, 8:30 a.m.-noon and 1:00-5:00 p.m.

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Our gratitude goes out to all our military men and women. Thank you~

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425 S.W. 4th Ave., Ontario

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more than 20 years in the service and moved back to Ontario after his retirement 16 in 2005. “When I moved back, I had no idea the Veterans Service Office even existed,� he said. He was working at the Outdoorsman, where he met the former Veterans Service officer there. When the position opened up in 2011, Tanaka took over. Most of Tanaka’s work revolves around veterans’ benefits and the complicated process it takes to secure them. He assists veterans and their families as they enroll in health care, seek education benefits or file for disability claims. The processes can be lengthy and confusing, and most benefits require stacks of forms, many of which come with pages of instructions. To a layperson, Tanaka said, it can be downright daunting. “If I was just coming off the street and wanted to file a claim, I would have no idea where to start,� he added. “I help them with that. That’s why I’m here.� For Tanaka, it’s a position


‘This is my favorite thing to do’ 17

Marcia Morgensen is also Payette County's Veterans Service Officer

We Support Our Veterans

In the instance of a disability claim, the service records for the individual is required. The injury must be stated in the record. Though Morgensen does not deal directly with filling out the application with the veteran, she can make appointments to begin the process and can get a copy of the service record, if the individual does not have his or her own copy. For her position, she must attend a training seminar once a year. The seminars, held in Boise, go over processing claims

We Honor Those Who Have Served Our Country.

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Assisted Living Facility

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541-889-5719

Nyssa Gardens

ARGUS OBSERVER, SUN., NOV. 10, 2013 / INDEPENDENT ENTERPRISE, WED., NOV. 13, 2013

Boise's VA Medical Center, including helping them get a ride to Boise, how to get signed up with “My CHERISE KAECHELE HealtheVet� program and Morgensen works “part INDEPENDENT-ENTERPRISE benefits they may be eligible time� as a Veterans Service PAYETTE for, and she is able to answer Officer, though she said Marcia Morgensen has nuwhenever a veteran comes to most questions veterans have merous jobs at the Payette or can at least point them in talk to her, she drops everyCounty Courthouse, includthe right direction. thing she is doing and helps ing county clerk. she works in them. Jim Philpott, State Service the district court, magistrate “They dropped their lives to Officer, comes into the councourt as needed and works ty once a month and is there defend, and I will drop my with individuals who need as- other work to assist, every to help those who are filing a sistance with medical bills and time,� Morgensen said. disability claim. Morgensen other special needs. Chief works with Philpott by arFor veterans, she is able to among her jobs, and admitted- assist them in beginning the ranging appointments for ly her favorite, is Veterans application process for disabil- those veterans who need to Service Officer. ity, help set them up with the fill out an application.


With Gratitude

to our Veterans

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251 W. Idaho., Ontario • 541-889-7690 Fax: 541-889-4027

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What you can do

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If you're interested in speaking to Morgensen, she is at the Payette County Courthouse from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can also contact her at (208) 642-6000 or by email mmorgensen@payettecounty.org.

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with the VSOs in the state. There is one VSO per county. Local veteran organizations refer their members to Morgensen when they can. “I'm always available,� Morgensen said. “This is my favorite thing to do.� She wanted to emphasize that this is a free service to all veterans. She said she has about four to five veterans come in once a week, and Philpott sees about five vets a month with their applications. CHERISE KAECHELE | ARGUS OBSERVER She wants to get the From behind her customer service window awareness out for what at the Payette County Courthouse, Marcia services she offers to veter- Morgensen juggles a number of jobs, but ans. her favorite is serving veterans as the Additionally, Morgensen County Veterans Service Officer. directs veterans to the National Resource Directory website to get services and resources at the national, state and local level to support recovery, rehab and community reintegration. The website is www.nrd.gov.

541-889-5353 Weiser - 208-414-1234

WITH GRA AT TITUDE TO OUR VETERANS

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121 SW 19th Ave. Ontario, OR 97917

P: (541) 889-3535 F: (541) 889-3538

THANK YOU VETERAN’S!


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ARGUS OBSERVER, SUN., NOV. 10, 2013 / INDEPENDENT ENTERPRISE, WED., NOV. 13, 2013

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