Governor Kate Brown has exercised her executive authority under ORS Chapter 401 in response to a surge of pediatric cases and hospitalizations of respiratory viruses, including Respiratory Syncytial Virus -- commonly known as RSV -- across Oregon. The executive order will give hospitals additional flexibility to staff beds for children, allow them to draw on a pool of medical volunteer nurses and doctors, and take other steps to provide care to pediatric patients.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that spreads through virus-containing respiratory droplets produced from coughing and sneezing. For most children, RSV produces mild illness. However, young children are especially susceptible to RSV. Children under the age of two are at increased risk of severe disease.

Since the onset of Oregon’s RSV season in late October, the statewide pediatric hospitalization rate has more than tripled, and is likely to exceed its previously recorded weekly hospitalization rate imminently. With only two pediatric specialty hospitals in the state with a pediatric ICU — OHSU’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital amd Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel – and a third hospital, Providence St. Vincent’s Hospital, which has a limited number of pediatric ICU beds — this executive action will help ensure hospitals have the tools they need to care for sick children, both from RSV as well as from other illnesses that may bring kids to the hospital.

"Oregon’s nurses, doctors, and hospital staff are deeply committed to caring for our children, and I’m grateful for all the work they are doing under difficult circumstances to help our kids,” said Governor Brown. “As the country faces a surge in pediatric RSV cases, we want to make sure Oregon’s hospitals have access to the tools they need to provide care for sick kids. For parents, please know you can take steps to reduce the risk of RSV, including practicing the good health and hygiene habits we’ve learned over the past few years.”

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“Like other hospitals in the region and across the country, OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital is currently admitting a high number of sick patients. Illnesses have hit our communities hard—and this comes on top of extreme health care staffing challenges which were exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Dana A. Braner, M.D., physician-in-chief at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital. “We expect this spike in illness to continue in the coming months. The dedicated staff here at Doernbecher are incredible, and they will continue to provide quality, compassionate care for our patients.”

“It’s important for parents to remember that while this respiratory season is severe, there are key steps families can take to protect their young children,” said Dr. Jim McCord, interim chief medical officer for Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel. “Be cautious with your young children around large groups of people, particularly indoors, make sure your child is up to date on flu and childhood immunizations, and everyone needs to wash their hands frequently. Parents should contact their primary care provider with questions or concerns.”

State health experts at the Oregon Health Authority encourage all individuals at increased risk of severe disease (and their caregivers) to take steps to prevent RSV and other respiratory infections this flu season.

• Stay up to date on flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Keep your child home when your child is sick, if possible.
• Wash hands thoroughly and frequently.
• Keep common, high touch surface areas clean and regularly disinfected.

If you have questions about your child’s care, call your health care provider or visit an urgent care center. At this time, hospital emergency departments are strained. Only visit the hospital if your child shows signs of severe illness, such as if your child has trouble breathing.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-17 06:58:02

Last Update: 2022-11-16 14:40:52

Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read pledged his support for decarbonizing the Oregon Public Employee Pension Fund by transitioning to a net zero carbon emission investment portfolio by no later than 2050, consistent with the goals outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement. Treasurer Read announced that he will present the Oregon Investment Council in early 2024 with a comprehensive proposal to implement this goal.

“Today is the first step in what will be a comprehensive and strategic effort to address the impacts of climate change on the funds we manage on behalf of Oregonians,” said Treasurer Read, in a statement released on video. “Our investment decisions must be driven by financial considerations and investment returns, not politics. The reality is we must reduce the risks that climate change poses to our investments and to the retirement security of Oregon’s hardworking public servants and their families.”

The Treasurer is one of five voting members of the OIC and serves as the state’s chief investment officer. The other four voting members are appointed by the Governor and approved by the Oregon Senate. All members are bound by their fiduciary duty and existing statutory requirements to make the funds they manage as productive as possible within prudent investment standards.

“Addressing the risk of climate change to our investments is critical to our mission to provide a secure retirement to Oregon’s teachers, firefighters, nurses, and other hardworking public servants. It will not happen overnight and must be done in a manner that acknowledges both the complexity of our global economy and the urgency of the emerging climate crisis,” said Read. OPERF is a globally diversified portfolio totaling approximately $90 billion in assets.

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The plan, which will be presented for consideration to the OIC in 2024, will be built around the following four components, consistent with Treasury’s fiduciary responsibility:

• First, the plan will include a pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or earlier, and outline strategies for achieving that goal.
• Second, the plan will establish a baseline emissions measurement and key interim targets for managing climate risks, along with methodologies and frameworks to measure progress on meeting those targets and timelines. It will identify opportunities for expanded investments in low-carbon solutions, and recommend ways to drive enhanced engagement with companies to ensure those companies are addressing their own climate related risks and opportunities.
• Third, it will prioritize a review of portfolio investments in carbon intensive activities like thermal coal, tar sands, and natural gas derived from fracking.
• Fourth, the plan will also recommend transparency and reporting mechanisms to demonstrate progress on meeting its net zero goals.

Read also said that while his staff develops a net zero plan for consideration by the Council, Treasury must accelerate existing efforts to address climate risks inside the investments currently under management. This includes expanding existing investments in renewable energy and clean tech, continuing efforts to more fully incorporate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) risks into Treasury’s portfolio management, and continuing to partner with other institutional investors to push companies to address climate-related risks inside their organizations.

“It is important to maintain strong returns in the pension fund so that current and future retirees have a stable financial future. We must also use every tool we have to fight climate change and protect the vulnerable communities most impacted by it. I am pleased to support Treasurer Read’s plan to achieve these objectives,” said Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner.

“The Oregon State Fire Fighters Council supports Treasurer Read’s commitment for the responsible decarbonization of the Oregon Investment Council’s pension fund portfolio. It is important that the OIC is transparent with PERS members’ finances and adopts a policy that reflects our commitment to environmentally sound investment income streams,” said Karl Koenig, President Oregon State Fire Fighters Council.

Today’s announcement comes amidst an increasing politicization of institutional investing. Read and other institutional investors have spoken out against attempts by some policymakers to prevent consideration of ESG factors in institutional investing.

Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways & Means: “By decarbonizing the pension fund, we can responsibly manage the impacts of climate change on our investments while producing strong returns that will maintain the strength of Oregon's pension fund and our commitment to retirees.”

Representative David Gomberg, Co-Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways & Means: “Our coastal communities are uniquely impacted by the effects of climate change. I support Treasurer Read’s plan to decarbonize the pension fund, while continuing to generate returns to fulfill our obligations to current and future retirees.”

Representative-elect Daniel Nguyen: “By decarbonizing the pension fund, we can responsibly manage the impacts of climate change on our investments while producing strong returns that will maintain the strength of Oregon's pension fund and our commitment to retirees.”

Representative-elect Ben Bowman: “Treasurer Read’s plan to align the pension fund with the Paris Climate Agreement will help secure a stable financial future for current and future retirees and a healthier and safer climate future for all of us.”


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-16 12:45:09

Last Update: 2022-11-16 14:23:23

The Oregon Republican Party has announced two legal notices it sent to elections officials across Oregon to ensure a free and fair election.

“All Oregonians deserve a free and fair election,” said Oregon Republican Party Chair Justin Hwang, “We follow President Ronald Reagan’s approach of ‘trust but verify.’”

The Oregon Republican Party has sent a litigation notice to all Oregon elections officials challenging the 7,767 ballots that Oregon’s Secretary of State ordered to be sent to unregistered voters. Such ballots cannot be counted since Oregon’s Constitution requires voters to be registered 20 days before an election in order to vote, and these individuals never registered. The Secretary of State directive already recognized that these ballots must be separated, and the Oregon Republican Party is simply verifying that the Secretary of State’s directive is followed.

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Previously, the Oregon Republican Party sent a litigation notice to all Oregon elections officials challenging ballots received after election day without postmarks or other postal indicators showing timely mailing. Such ballots cannot be counted under federal law and the Oregon Constitution. Oregon’s elections officials have repeatedly told voters in the lead up to this election that all mailed ballots “must be received or mailed with a valid postmark by 8 PM Election Day” in order to count, and they need to follow through on that promise.

“Every eligible voter should have the opportunity to vote, and any ballot illegally cast or improperly counted after the deadline diminishes the votes of all Oregonians,” said Oregon Republican Party Chair Justin Hwang.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-15 16:17:51

Salem Police officers arrested a middle-school student as part of the recent investigation into threats made against the Parrish and Houck Middle School campuses on a social media platform. Police dispatch center began receiving multiple calls from concerned parents regarding threats on Sunday.

The Police Department and Salem-Keizer Public Schools worked with the assistance from the FBI to determine the source of the alarming messages and arrested a 12-year-old Salem-Keizer Public Schools student involved in the incident. Detectives confirmed the threats were not credible, and the safety of the schools was never in jeopardy.

Within a day there was a drive-by shooting in front of Jefferson High School in Portland that left a student in the hospital with a shoulder injury. The second incident in a month.

In the last 27 years, Oregon has witnessed four in school shootings. That is four too many. In 1998, a 15-year-old began shooting at Thurston High in Springfield leaving 29 victims with four fatalities. In 2007, a 15-year-old Springwater Trail High, Gresham, student shot from outside at the windows of two classrooms with a high-powered rifle leaving ten victims. In 2014, a 15-year-old shot a student and then himself after wounding a teacher at Troutdale High School. In 2015, a 26-year-old man entered Snyder Hall, Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and wounding another eight.

These young people are still fresh in minds of parents. Many grew up respecting law enforcement and never expected to see police in the halls of our schools, but then the unthinkable happened and we welcomed their friendly faces to protect our children.

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Then the forces of BLM dominated the legislative environment, and the Senate Interim Committee on Education, chaired by Senator Michael Dembrow, in 2021 introduced SB 238. The bill prohibited district school boards or superintendents from approving a contract or other agreement that would provide for members of law enforcement to be assigned to schools or school district and redistributes the funds. The bill did not pass out of committee before adjournment. The bill followed passage of a law in 2017 that allows school districts to ban concealed handguns on school grounds.

We've gone from fear tactics over school shootings and providing security, fencing schools and requiring ID to enter, to appeasing rioters entertaining their tales of fear, to removing security from some schools and making them gun free zones. The racist stories told during the riots did not reflect any incidents with school security. Quite the opposite. They told stories of friendship, support and kindness. It’s been six years since the last shooting incident at a school in Oregon.

That doesn’t mean the law enforcement presence isn’t needed any more, it does mean their presence has had a positive impact.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-11-15 07:46:20

Last Update: 2022-11-15 12:51:13

The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announce a new shellfish opening. All mussel harvesting is now open from the Washington border to the California border. Recent samples indicate levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid are below the closure limit for two consecutive weeks.

Razor clam harvesting is closed from the Washington border to the California border for elevated levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid.

Bay clam and crab harvesting remain open along the entire Oregon coast. Oregon Department of Agriculture will continue to test for shellfish toxins twice per month, as tides and weather permit. Reopening an area closed for biotoxins requires two consecutive tests with results below the closure limit. Contact Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for recreational license requirements, permits, rules and limits.


--Ritch Hanneman

Post Date: 2022-11-14 14:48:16

Last Update: 2022-11-14 16:58:02

The Joint Task Force on Addressing Racial Disparities in Home Ownership was created by the legislature in 2021 through HB 2007 and the final report was adopted on October 14, 2022. The committee was co-chaired by Representative Ricki Ruiz (D-Gresham) and Senator James Manning Jr (D-Eugene). The adopted report includes an increase of more than a quarter billion in funding, legislation, eliminate barriers and discrimination issues that reduces homeownership among people of color in Oregon.

The bill was seemingly to address disparities, even though disparities are well covered in laws.

• The Unites States Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, discrimination at work, in housing, public places, discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, gender orientation/identity, and equal pay.
• ORS Chapter 659A. Unlawful discrimination in Employment, Public Accommodations, Real Property Transactions, Administrative & Civil Enforcement.

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Was this really about disparities? The Task Force adopted 11 recommendations, $264,200,000 funding that is mostly recurring, plus increases taxes on second homes and adds new programs including government purchase of parcels and homes through selected organizations. The 11 recommendations are:

1. Support the budget request for Oregon Housing and Community Services.
2. Individual Development Accounts to support OHCS request $35 million biennial funding. Offset by eliminating the Mortgage Interest Deduction on second homes.
3. Allocate $10 million for down payment assistance to be distributed through cultural and tribal organizations, and $25 million for Flex Lending Program borrowers primarily for those without tax ID numbers.
4. Allocate $4 million to tribal homeownership, $4.8 million to homeownership centers and culturally responsive organizations, and $200,000 for training for housing counselors.
5. Allocate funding to OHCS to inventory and develop pre-purchase counseling and educational materials in five languages.
6. Develop appraiser training and education requirements.
7. Add $5 million for positions at the Fair Housing Council of Oregon, Bureau of Labor and Industries, and Department of Justice.
8. Work group on tax credits to address investor ownership and encourage the return of existing homes to the homeownership market.
9. Allocate $30 million for a pilot providing 100 percent funding of the home purchase price within the Flex Lending Program in partnership with financial institutions.
10. Allocate $100 million per biennium to subsize 500 homes less than $200,000 and pre-development costs. Create a new $30 million fund to purchase 200 parcels per biennium at zero percent interest. Allocate $20 million to OHCS to invest in community-based, innovative models to increase homeownership for communities of color.
11. Subsidize interest rates on certain 15-year or 20-year mortgages to fast track the equity gained for eligible borrowers.

Will these recommendations resolve inequities without creating new inequities? To be constitutionally sound, “equal treatment under the law,” it isn’t equal ownership, but equal opportunity. To rob taxpayers to grow government programs in the name of equity won’t solve a homeless crisis that has been touted as Oregon’s number one issue.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-11-14 14:38:04

Last Update: 2022-11-15 13:10:59

The Governor of Oregon is undoubtedly the most powerful elected official in Oregon. In addition to the bully pulpit and the ability to veto bills, the Oregon Governor commands a great deal of power.

Executive Appointments

Most large and medium-sized state agencies set policy based on a commission. These commissions are all executive branch commissions made by the Governor. This is a tremendous amount of power. Additionally, the Governor appoints agency heads.

Is the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife going to concern itself more with providing hunting and fishing opportunities for Oregonians, or are they going to be focused on conservation? Is the Department of Environmental Quality going to be focused on helping industry comply with regulations or are they going to crack down and issue as many fines as possible? Is the Department of Human Services going to be focused on getting people off assistance and on to self-sufficiency or are they going to be recruiting more people into the system?

Line item veto

Unknown to many, the Oregon governor has a line item veto on spending bills. Though it may not be used often, its threat can have a chilling effect on appropriations. Article V, Section 15a of the Oregon Constitution says ,"The Governor shall have power to veto single items in appropriation bills, and any provision in new bills declaring an emergency, without thereby affecting any other provision of such bill."

Call Special Session

Article V, Section 12 authorizes the governor to call special sessions of the legislature. It says, "He may on extraordinary occasions convene the Legislative Assembly by proclamation, and shall state to both houses when assembled, the purpose for which they shall have been convened."

Negotiating with Public Employees

The Governor unilaterally negotiates with government employee unions, including pay, benefits and working conditions. The legislature is left to come up with whatever money is necessary to fund what the governor has promised.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-13 11:12:07

Last Update: 2022-11-13 20:29:11

The number of unbanked households in Oregon dropped from 3.8 percent in 2019 to just 1.8 percent in 2021, according to a study by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This is significant for many Oregonians because it means they can avoid paying for expensive alternative financial services such as money orders, check cashing, and pre-paid cards.

Those costs can add up to thousands of dollars over a consumer’s lifetime.

Nationally, over 95 percent of U.S. households had some sort of banking account in 2021. If a household is banked it means at least one member has a savings or checking account at a bank or credit union.

The Oregon Legislature passed SB 1565 in 2022 that makes it an unlawful practice -- with a few exceptions -- for a place of public accommodation offering goods or services, or any person acting on behalf of such place, to refuse to accept from a customer or patron, as payment for goods and services, United States currency.

According to Anthony Smith with the National Federation of Independent Business, "Cash is a labor-intensive process – and under SB 1565, as more and more customers pay electronically, employees would still have to make bank deposits and count out cash registers, before and after each shift, accounting for every transaction down to the last penny, even if the business makes very few – or no cash sales in an average day. Having cash on hand can also prove to be a security risk, exposing employees to the risk of robbery and employers to theft."

"As customer behaviors change," Smith continued, businesses respond by meeting those changing expectations in ways that will keep customers coming back again and again. Customers expect quick check-out lines and fast transactions. SB 1565 limits the ability of a business to safely operate at peak efficiency with customer experiences in mind.

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“One of the challenges facing the unbanked is all of the fees you have to pay to access your money,” said TK Keen, administrator of the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation at the Department of Business and Consumer Services. “While the individual cost may seem minor, having to buy several different financial products to pay rent, utilities, and other monthly expenses starts to add up and eats into your monthly budget. I am pleased to see that our financial institutions continue to help us make headway in getting consumers accounts, and in turn, reducing fees that consumers pay in their daily lives.”

Despite this improvement, Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities, as well as people experiencing a disability, are much more likely to be unbanked. Only 2.1 percent of White households are unbanked in the U.S. In contrast, 9.3 percent of Latino households and 11.3 percent of Black households are unbanked.

“It is important to get as many people as possible banked,” Keen said. “Relationships with our financial institutions come in handy for other financial services people need, such as a loan to buy a car, a mortgage to buy a home, and emergency loans for unexpected expenses that come up.”


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-12 06:18:46

Last Update: 2022-11-11 11:58:53

The Oregon Transportation Commission will meet Thursday, Nov. 17 at 9 a.m. at the Hillsboro Public Service Building, 1555 N. 1st Avenue, Hillsboro. Items on the agenda include:

• Great Streets Program Update: An informational update on engagement and program development for the Great Streets Program, including selection criteria and project recommendation process.
• OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes Construction Update: An update on the OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes Project, which is currently under construction.
• Biennial Flat Fee Study: A request to approve advancing the Flat Fee Rate Study with recommendations to the legislature to amend the rates.

The agenda and meeting materials will be available on the OTC Website. The public is invited to watch the meeting on YouTube.

Members of the public are asked to submit written comment in advance of the Nov. 17 meeting and sign up for real-time virtual oral public comment. Sign up to provide comments by completing the comment form on the OTC website at www.oregon.gov/odot/Get-involved/Pages/OTC_Main.aspx. Please sign up by Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m.

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Please note participation will be limited to one representative per organization. Commenters (and organizations) who are providing oral testimony to the OTC for the first time will be given priority for the limited available testimony spots.

To submit written testimony or comments electronically, please use the submission form on the OTC website by Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. to guarantee inclusion in the meeting packet. Comments not included in the meeting packet will be shared with Commissioners after the meeting.

Email written comments to OTCAdmin@odot.oregon.gov.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-11 10:49:05

Last Update: 2022-11-11 11:01:53

Oregon Military Department released the schedule for the Veterans Day flyover. The 142nd Wing out of the Portland Air National Guard Base, will conduct Veterans Day flyovers for ceremonies and parades at locations throughout the state.

142nd Wing Commander, Colonel Todd Hofford, said the wing is proud to conduct the flyovers. “We appreciate the opportunity to honor those that have served before us. The demonstration of air superiority on this day is a great reminder to us all how fortunate we are to be citizens of this country. These patriotic flyovers are courtesy of your Hometown Air Force.”

The F-15 Eagle fighter jets are scheduled to conduct flyovers at the following community locations at, or around the designated times on Friday, 11 November:

• 10:45 a.m. Tillamook Air Museum, Tillamook, Ore.
• 10:57 a.m. Albany Veterans Day Parade, Albany, Ore.
• 11:11 a.m. University of Portland, Portland, Ore.
• 11:32 a.m. The Dalles Area Chamber, The Dalles, Ore.
• 12:07 p.m. Veterans Memorial Park, Klamath Falls, Ore.
• 12:22 p.m. Douglas County Veterans Day Parade, Roseburg, Ore.

All passes will be approximately 1,000 feet above ground level and about 400 mph airspeed. Flights could be canceled or times changed due to inclement weather or operational contingencies. There will also be a funeral flyover at 11:20 a.m. in Mollala, Oregon.

Previous in-flight flyover gopro footage can be downloaded at: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/752272/142nd-wing-f-15-flight-gopro-footage

The 142nd Wing, Portland Air National Guard Base employs 1,500 Airmen who provide an economic impact of nearly $500 million to the region. The 142nd Wing defends our homeland with F-15 Eagle fighter jets, guarding the Pacific Northwest skies from northern California to the Canadian border through their Aerospace Control Alert mission as part of Air Combat Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Their mission is to provide unequalled, mission-ready units to sustain combat aerospace superiority and peacetime tasking any time, any place in service to our nation, state and community.

The photo is of an F-15D Eagle assigned to the 142nd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard Base, Oregon, takes off during an afternoon sortie, Feb. 19, 2015. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. John Hughel, 142nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs/Released).


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-11-10 16:25:41

Last Update: 2022-11-10 17:36:13

The Oregon Health Authority has announced that "Like most of the country, Oregon is experiencing a surge in respiratory illnesses. An exponential increase in respiratory syncytial virus cases since October 29 alongside ongoing hospital staffing challenges are straining pediatric hospital bed capacity. Pediatric intensive care unit and medical-surgical beds statewide are heavily strained.

Given the urgency of the current situation, and expected continued rises in RSV and flu cases, we ask that Oregon hospitals take the following steps immediately:

• Maximize pediatric staffing, spaces and supplies to increase surge capacity; examples include but are not limited to:
  • Identifying additional staff with pediatric experience.
  • Using single rooms as double rooms, with temporary licensure as needed.
  • Expanding into surge areas, with temporary licensure as needed.
  • Submitting a Hospital License Temporary Space Application to mailbox.hclc@odhsoha.oregon.gov for any hospital request to change use of existing spaces, add beds, or related requests. Oregon Health Authority's Health Facility Licensing and Certification Program staff will respond to all requests promptly.
• Encourage pediatric and subspecialty providers to maximally manage patients locally with goal to reduce need for transfer to specialty pediatric hospitals.
  • Develop plans and identify resources needed to manage higher acuity patients in anticipation of delays in transfers to specialty pediatric hospitals.
• Review and limit elective procedures if needed to maintain statewide pediatric bed capacity.
• Consider opening neonatal ICUs (NICUs) to suitably aged, outside patients using appropriate precautions.
• Plan to provide intensive care to older children in adult ICUs.
  • Assess readiness and activate any necessary credentialing steps
  • Review PICU in the MICU: How Adult ICUs Can Support Pediatric Care in Public Health Emergencies which outlines a surge continuum framework to increase PICU capacity.
• Maximize opportunities to vaccinate against flu and COVID-19.

As a reminder, OHA rules still require masking in most healthcare settings.

OHA plans to circulate a survey to better understand hospital pediatric surge capacity in the coming days.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-10 10:44:04

Last Update: 2022-11-10 16:25:17

Editor's note: Kelly Fitzpatrick is the Director of the Oregon Veterans' Administration

Each year, our nation sets aside Veterans Day to remember all the men and women who have defended our liberty through their honorable military service. American cities big and small celebrate with ceremonies across the nation to honor their service and their sacrifice.

We are proud to note that even in the wake of devastating and destabilizing world events like the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrations that honor our nation's veterans were among the first to return to full strength. The value that we as Oregonians and Americans place on honoring and showing gratitude toward those who have served and sacrificed to protect our freedoms and way of life is immense.

This year, while the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs continues to honor all veterans of all eras, we are paying tribute to one particular era of our veteran community: Oregon's Korean War veterans. Though this war it is referred to as the "Forgotten War," we in Oregon have never — and will never — forget the extraordinary and heroic veterans who fought for freedom in the Korean War.

This theme has a personal significance for me. My father fought as a Marine during the Korean War, where he earned the Purple Heart. After I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army and asked for my first tour of duty to be in South Korea, my father shared the only thing he ever said to me about his combat experiences there. He half-joked that if I ever traveled near the DMZ, I would surely see his fingernails where he desperately attempted to dig a deeper foxhole as enemy artillery rained down on his Marine unit.

Of course, my own experience of being stationed in the Republic of Korea was vastly different, thanks to those courageous men and women who fought during the Korean War. In fact, I enjoyed my first tour in Daegu so much that several years later, I served a two-year tour in Korea. The Korean people are wonderfully gracious and kind. Whenever I was in uniform outside the military base, older Koreans who remembered the war would sometimes approach me and thank me as a representative of the American military.

In 1950, our nation was weary of war after years of global conflict. Yet, 1.5 million Americans — including 60,000 Oregonians — left their family and friends and their homes to help defend our nation's friends and allies halfway around the world, in a place they had never been and on behalf of a people they had never met.

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Together with men and women from 20 other nations, they joined shoulder to shoulder with the brave people of South Korea to defend their independence, to safeguard other Asian nations, and to protect the freedom that remains our greatest gift. All those who fought in the Korean War endured terrible hardships — deadly cold, unbearable conditions, an enemy of overwhelming numbers, and the threat of brutal imprisonment and torture.

But their courage never wavered — not when they were defending the perimeter at Busan, braving the tides at Inchon, confronting the world's fastest fighter jets in Mig Alley, enduring hand-to-hand combat on Heartbreak Ridge and Pork Chop Hill, or even fighting their way back from the infamous Chosin Reservoir.

In September of this year, I had the privilege of speaking at an Honor Flight of Portland, Oregon, send-off event for 24 honored veterans — 19 of whom served in the Korean War. It was an honor to meet them, shake their hands, hear some of their stories, and wish them well as they prepared to fly across the country to visit the fabulous memorials built in our nation's capital to honor and remember their service and sacrifice. They set a standard of valor and perseverance that may be equaled, but will never be surpassed in the annals of American history.

The men and women who served in the Korean War set themselves apart not only by their courage and sacrifice, but by their unity and dedication to one another. It was just before the Korean War, in 1948, that President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 — abolishing discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin in the United States Armed Forces.

When war broke out in 1950, our country — for the first time in its history — entered the fray with a fully integrated and desegregated military. These proud service members of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds joined the people of 20 other nations and South Korea to fight this war.

Earlier this year, we also observe the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the Korean Augmentees to the US Army (KATUSA) program. It was started as a spoken agreement between President Seungman Lee and U.S. General Douglas MacArthur. At that time, the U.S. Army needed a military force that had the proper knowledge of the geography of Korea, and the ability to distinguish South Korean allied troops from North Korean enemy troops and communicate better between U.S. soldiers and Korean soldiers. Therefore, some men were drafted as KATUSAs, and others voluntarily applied. After training, they were assigned to U.S. military units. During the Korean War, nearly 44,000 KATUSA soldiers fought for South Korea with U.S. forces. They, too, are heroes, and we honor them today.

This program continued after the Korean War, and KATUSA soldiers would spend 18 months with the U.S. Army learning an occupation and would then return to the ROK Army to train others. The program remains active today and is a symbol of the ongoing friendship and mutual commitment between the Republic of Korea and the U.S.

I was fortunate to have KATUSA soldiers in my organization during both of my tours in Korea. They were among the most dedicated soldiers I have had the honor of serving with.

Finally, on this day, we remember and give thanks for the 40,000 Americans who paid the ultimate price in the fight for freedom and independence during the Korean War. Among their number were nearly 300 Oregonians whose names are inscribed on the Oregon Korean War Memorial in Wilsonville. Similarly, we give thanks for the more than 11,000 KATUSAs who went missing or were killed in action.

The world is a better place because of these men and women. Our duty as a nation and people is to remember and honor them, and to always strive to live up to the ideals for which they served and sacrificed.

Please consider joining me and ODVA for our Oregon Statewide Veterans Day Ceremony, which will take place at 11 a.m. Nov. 10 — the day before Veterans Day — at Oregon Capitol Mall, directly across from the front entrance of the Capitol Building.

The event is free and open to the public. It will also be live-streamed on ODVA's Facebook page.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-10 10:23:53