Oregon War Veterans Blog

Some of What our Guys have Been Through

We don't glamorize the war.  This footage allows viewers to see what some of our guys are going through in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  These troops were trying to to secure a landing zone for the medivac helicopters to come in and pick up some of their wounded.  Some of these guys have never been in combat before.

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Help Us Keep Helping

Oregon War Veterans Association is veterans charitable association, which has been involved in programs like the "Save Christmas Project," in December 2006. 

Our most pressing need at the moment is to help meet the needs of members of the families of National Guard troops deployed or retuning to the States in June,2007. 

Since the Legislatuure has gutted the National Guard Emergency Family Assistance Fund, the Guard has been calling on OWVA to help with their emergency needs.  In the last 90 days, OWVA has paid over $30,000.00 tomembers and their familes for such things like funeral expenses, rents, and utility payments. 

Until the Guard get's funding for  their families, they will continue to look to OWVA's charitable ability to raise money for them. 

Please help today!   Please donate to the OWVA as soon as possible, and as much as possible.  We can offer you a donation reciept for your contribution, for your tax purposes.  Your contirbution will be added to our charitable funds, and will be distributed as needed.  None of your funds will be used for political purposes.

It is easy to invest in national guard families! Just click on either the green "Donate" box or the red "National Guard Asst." box in the right hand column.

Thank you!!

OWVA

Freedom Isn't Free! - Memorial Day 2007

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE! In the video below, you'll see footage of fellow citizens who paid for our freedoms, and the freedoms of others with their flesh and blood. A good reminder for all of us. Let's not forget.

Welcome to OWVA's Blog!

Thank you for visiting the new OWVA blog!  As you can see, we are so new, that just about everything is under construction.  In the near future, this blog site will be a great place to see what is going on in the world of Oregon's U.S. military veterans.

Here are some things that are coming soon:

1. Legislation Watch. A link to see and follow Oregon specific legislation, relating to veterans.

2. News releases from OWVA.

3. An OWVA membership section, for questions and comments.

4. A section for partisan discussions relating to veteran's issues -hear what all sides think!

5. Photo Albums.  You'll be able to send us photos of veteran/military events!

6. Links to other Veterans Service Organizations in Oregon-  Stay informed.

7. Media contacts.  Get involved!  Send letters to editors.

8. Legislative contacts.  Find your legislators and send them emails.

9. Make a suggestion-  send us anything that helps veterans mobilize, or communicate better with each other.

10. Election information.  OWVA gets involved in elections.  As a 501(c)(19) war veterans charitiable association, it is our congressional right to get involved in elections.  We want to elect officials who help veterans, and get rid of those who don't.  Our success rate is about 80%, since 2002.  We are strictly bi-partisan in this effort!

11. News feeds.  We'll link to news feeds from around the world, for veteran and military topics.

12. Other links for interesting books, services, groups, events, etc.  Lot's and lots of information!

Come by often and see what is new!

OWVA Director Sends Letter to Legislators and Media -May 21, 2007

May 21, 2007

President Courtney

Senator Monnes-Anderson

Senator Carter

Senator Gordly

Senator Kruse

Senator Brown

Senator Schrader

Speaker Merkley

Representative Hunt

Representative Barnhart

Representative Rosenbaum

Representative Read

Veterans are very frustrated with the 2007 legislative session.

 

Oregon War Veterans Association is the fastest growing veterans assocition in Oregon, with more than 400 new war veteran members since Janurary, and we are NOT happy.

How many times do you think I have heard, "we don't like the war, or the President's policies, but we do support veterans and our troops," from the leaders of this legislative session?  Everytime I turn around, I get that comment thrown at me.  But your actions do NOT support your words, words that now seem very much like political smoke and mirrors.

In 2003, our directors and members supported 28 legislative bills.  19 of them were passed, and signed by the Governor.  Last session, monumental steps were taken to prove the legislature's support of the our vets and deployed National Guard troops.

 

This year, however, we decided to keep our bills to a minimum, and focus on several key, important bills.  Of the 15 bills OWVA supported this session, only a few of them still remain viable.  These were good bills.  Bills that will help our troops deal with emergencies, when they return home from the war.  Bills that help disabled veterans fight for justice.  Bills that help veterans buy long term care policies, so they don't become problems for us in the future.  Bills that let more girls enter the Oregon Youth Challenge Progam.

 

This year, I will be surprised if any of our important bills make it to the Governor's desk.  What does that say about this session's legislative leadership?  What have veterans done to deserve this treatment?  How will it look to have this legislature turn on veterans and our returning troops?

A good case in point is HB 3009.  This bill has no fiscal impact on the State.  People who previously fought against the Oregon Veterans Home are now in support of adding more homes.  We have done our work to resolve many of the issues that people in the care industry had with a second veterans home, and now it looks like the Senate is going to kill our chances to build a new one in the near future.

We heard on Friday that Senator Monnes-Anderson is "not inclined to bring this bill back for a work session," essentially killing one of our highest priority bills.  It seems to me that there is too much political wrangling around the sponsors of our bills, and not enough concern for the bill's actual merit.

Perhaps I am mistaken.  We'll see.

Please carefully consider how disinfranchising Oregon's greatest citizens will have on the future of those citizens who have sacrificed their families, their health, and their carreers so that you folks can actually do the job that you do, and live with the influence and priviledges that you enjoy.

In the great scehme of things, veterans don't ask for even a portion of what they deserve.  But when we do ask for something, that means it is very important to us, and we expect our leaders to respect that, and give us at least as much attention as you do for the special interest groups who contantly have your ears and share your kleenex boxes.

Why aren't the ODVA and OMD emergency fund programs going to be funded again this year?  They each need $500,000.00 to help needy families.  You gave them the money last year, but refuse to give it this year, while 950 troops are returning to Oregon.  What kind of message is that?

You still have time to make a real difference for veterans and returning troops.

As a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foriegn Wars and the president of Oregon War Veterans Association, I strongly urge you to not kill anymore of our bills.  Please pass HB 3009.  Please vote to pass our remaining bills in Revenue and Ways and Means.  Please fund the emergency accounts as requested.  Please give us the respect we deserve. Let's not let HJM 9 be the best veteran's bills that you have passed this year.

Very sincerely,

Greg Warnock

OWVA

Veterans Frustrated with Legislators!

Oregon War Veterans Association

News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- URGENT

May 27, 2007 (Salem, OR) The vast majority of Oregonians celebrated the Memorial Day holiday this weekend with a deep sense of gratitude for what our military forces have done to secure the American freedoms we each live with. In every community, all across our State, churches sang patriotic hymns and said prayers for our citizens in uniform. The phrase, ”freedom isn’t free,” seemed to be the most spoken comment of this year’s holiday, especially since Oregon has lost so many deployed troops in the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“These are days of reflection,” said Oregon War Veterans Association’s (OWVA) president, Greg Warnock, in a comment to members of their organization. “These are days of sacrifice, not seen in Oregon since WWII.” Warnock continued, “The sacrifices made by Oregon’s families are an extreme hardship on all of us.”

Oregon has one of the highest deployment rates of their National Guard members of all of the States in our Union. And more than 80 of them have perished in the war, leaving behind proud but suffering families and communities.

“It is surprising to me, though, with all of the well spoken political speeches made during this holiday,” OWVA’s president said, “veterans and families of the military are actually being ignored this year’s legislative session.” With nearly 1,000 troops returning to Oregon from Afghanistan this month, and 350 Oregon National Guard troops heading for Iraq, the legislature has made actually killed most of the veteran related bills this year, and has gutted much of what previous sessions did for vets and deployed National Guard troops.”

Veterans want to be taken seriously. But the way things are adding up, the 2007 legislative session is positioned to be the most hostile legislature to veterans in decades. “Is this what the voters had in mind, when they voted to change the republican leadership to democrat?” Warnock asked several democratic legislators, during the week of the Memorial Day holiday. “Someone in your caucus needs to stand up and point out that this doesn’t look very good for democrats, who’ve taken over the house this year,” he said. “We were very optimistic early in the session, based on political comments. That optimism is dead.”

This is a leadership priority issue, rather than a financial issue. All of the veteran’s bills combined, only required about five million dollars, and one of their bills (HB 3197) would bring over six million dollars in indirect income from the federal government to the state, essentially paying for all the veteran’s bills combined. But no one seems to be listening to that argument. Most veterans think the State is financially profiting from the war, while ignoring their basic needs.

The leadership told veterans that they would do whatever they could for them this year, especially since we have over one thousand troops deployed from Oregon to war zones. But of the 50 bills that passed out of the Veterans Affairs Committee, only a few survive, with a month left in the session. And, none of the bills with a fiscal impact have made it through the Revenue process yet. Even if some of them do make the session’s finish line, none of them will have survived on their own merits, but will be stuffed with other bills, in order to convince legislators to pass them. Veterans don’t ask for much, but have sacrificed more than most, so that our society can function as it does,” Warnock told several legislators on Friday, before the holiday.

OWVA and the other veterans groups want the legislative leadership to use their remaining days in the session to count the bills that have made it this far and pass them without further reductions. Oregon War Veterans Association is a non-partisan, veteran’s membership and advocacy association, and charitable organization that develops legislation and support for veterans and members of the military and their families.

House Concurrent Resolution 5 Passes!

The Oregon Senate today unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 5, recognizing the contributions of healthcare providers who work in support of TRICARE, the U.S. Department of Defense healthcare entitlement for active duty and retired members of the military, their families and survivors.  The resolution commends the spirit of patriotism and sacrifice shown by healthcare providers in ensuring that military personnel and their families receive needed medical care during the War on Terror, and recognizes the 7,500 Oregon providers who work within the TRICARE system.  Oregon War Veterans Association, the fastest growing veterans group in the state, has been supporting the passage of the resolution.

Greg Warnock, the President of Oregon War Veterans Association, expressed his gratitude to the Legislative Assembly.  “This is a positive step forward in the battle to provide necessary care to our veterans,” Warnock said.  “Of particular interest is the resolution’s statement encouraging additional healthcare providers to join the TRICARE system.”  It is estimated that roughly half of the healthcare providers in Oregon currently accept TRICARE, with an even lower percentage in rural areas, leaving many veterans in smaller communities without access to the healthcare they earned through service.

“I’d love to see us meet TriWest’s goal of an additional 2,000 healthcare providers in Oregon,” Warnock stated, referring to TriWest Healthcare Alliance.  TriWest is a contractor to the Department of Defense that administers the TRICARE program in the 21-state western region, including Oregon.  House Concurrent Resolution 5 was introduced at the request of TriWest Healthcare Alliance.  “I have the utmost respect for TriWest, and am honored to be able to support this resolution on TriWest’s – and our veterans’ – behalf.”

Robin Brown, a member of the board of Oregon War Veterans Association, added: “We have been working hard this session to move forward with a number of bills to help provide more and better access to healthcare for our troops.  House Concurrent Resolution 5 is just one part of the overall package; its passage today is a positive sign of things to come as the session continues.”

House Concurrent Resolution 5 previously passed the Oregon House of Representatives on March 26.  Having now passed both chambers, it will be filed with the Secretary of State and be enrolled as an official Resolution of the Legislative Assembly.