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Dear friends,
With Veterans Day coming up on Tuesday, November 11, I want to take a moment to honor our veterans and encourage you to join me in thanking our servicemen and women. Veterans are all around us: our friends, neighbors and co-workers. I believe that Oregon has a responsibility to support our servicemen and women in uniform, especially as they return home and prepare to re-enter the workforce.
Unfortunately, veterans returning home often find themselves priced out of a college education due to the high cost of out-of-state tuition. During the 2014 legislative session, my colleagues and I passed HB 4021, a bill that makes college more accessible and affordable for veterans. By giving veterans at Oregon's public universities the opportunity to pay in-state college tuition for graduate school, this legislation continues the work we started with HB 2158 in 2013, which allowed in-state tuition for undergraduate veterans. Combined, these bills will make college considerably less expensive for those who couldn't prove current residency in the state. Our veterans have made many sacrifices serving our country. This new law helps us honor their service by providing veterans with greater opportunities.
Click here to view the latest version of Oregon Vets News, a publication of the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Below you will find information on:
- What You Can Do
- Area Veterans Day Events
Thank you for joining me this month in supporting our veterans and honoring their service to our country.
What You Can Do
I'm proud of what the legislature has accomplished to support veterans in recent years, but there's always more to do. To honor the service of the brave men and women who serve and protect the U.S. year-round, here are a few ways you can show your appreciation – or just lend a helping hand – right here in Oregon:
- Volunteer for your local VA center. As just one example, drivers are always needed to shuttle veterans.
Roseburg VA: 541-440-1000
Eugene VA: 541-465-6918
- Join the Soldiers' Angels "Adopt a Veteran" program and commit to send one letter a week and one care package a month to a soldier deployed overseas. Members of the Adopt a Veteran team provide moral support and small gifts for returning heroes.
- Say thank you. Thanking individual veterans for their service is a simple way to show your gratitude, and it can mean a lot to someone who has served.
- Donate your old cell phone. Instead of stashing your old cellphone in a drawer, donate it to Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that donates one hour of talk time for troops overseas for each cellphone donated.
Area Veterans Day Events
Eugene
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m. @ Veterans Memorial Building
Annual "11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month"
Guest speakers: Jay Hall, Commander, American Legion Post 3
History presentation about World War I by Nathan Fendrich, Post 3 Historian
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 8 a.m. - 4pm @ UofO Erb Memorial Union Amphitheater
Roll Call of the names of more than 4,800 fallen U.S. military members who have died while serving in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 7 p.m. @ Valley River Inn Willamette Room
Premier of new full length documentary, "Forgotten Heroes: An Honor Flight Story"
Chronicles the May 2014 trip to Washington DC by 48 area World War II veterans
Tickets: $10 and available at the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, Springfield Chamber of Commerce and Travel Lane County
Springfield
Sunday, Nov. 9, 1:30 p.m. @ downtown Springfield
Lane County Veterans Day Parade
Theme: "Honoring All Who Served"
Elkton
Monday, Nov. 10, 10 a.m. @ Elkton High School Gym
Student songs, poetry, original writings, and refreshments
Elkton School District to issue official high school diplomas to qualified veterans who served and did not receive one
Roseburg
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 7 to 10 a.m. @ American Legion Post 16
Free breakfast for veterans and their families (406 SE Oak St.)
Donations accepted
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m. @ downtown Roseburg
Douglas County Veterans Day Parade
Grand Marshals: Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm veterans
Oregon Army National Guard color guard will lead the parade
Albany
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m. @ downtown Albany
Albany Veterans Day Parade
Largest Veterans Day Parade West of the Mississippi
Theme: "Veterans – Heroes at Home."
Grand Marshals: World War II veterans
More than 200 parade entries all honor and salute our veterans.
Awards Ceremony begins 20 minutes after the parade ends (Linn County Courthouse, 300 4th Ave. SW)
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