Oregon War Veterans Blog

Help welcome home the troops

Help Welcome Home the Troops With August 4th Parade in Tigard, WWII Vets are Grand Marshalls, Assistance Needed for Celebration

Help Welcome Home the members of the 41st Brigade Combat Team on Saturday, August 4.  Participate in the parade, put together a welcome home booth for the military family fun center, or simply join watch the parade and tell everyone in uniform, "thanks for your service!"

The Brigade is returning from a 16 month deployment to Afghanistan which included four months training at Camp Shelby, MS. They trained Afghanistan military and police and also assisted in building local schools, bridges, wells, irrigation, health clinics and roads.

The event is being held in Tigard, where the Brigade's Headquarters unit is located and gets underway with a parade at 10am.  The parade starts at the corner of Hwy 99 and Durham Rd and continues to Tigard High and then to Cooks Park. Military members and their families will then have official welcoming ceremonies by the Governor and other public officials and a Change of Command for Brigadier General Douglas Pritt at Tigard High Stadium. That will be followed by a welcome home celebration at Tigard Cooks Park for the military and their families.      

World War II vets will be honored as Parade Grand Marshals. The organizers require advance registration including name, military service branch, rank, dates of service, mailing address, telephone number, and email address. Those unable to march will have military type vehicles transporting them along the parade route.

Any military entry will be welcomed as a parade entry.  Also being sought are color guards, bands, marching units, special vehicles, and youth groups including scouts and sports teams.  Welcome Home booths with give-a-ways, free activities for kids, and/or information and help for the returning Brigade members and their families will be located at Tigard's Cooks Park.  Any businesses or groups willing to show their gratitude by offering free family services or amusements for the children are encouraged to assist at Cooks Park.  Local merchants areproviding food and refreshments.

Donations to assist in Homecoming or military families in need can be made at any US Bank branch in Oregon to "Home Again Parade."

To participate in the parade or family fun center, register as Grand Marshall, or volunteer, contact:

Mark Poling

American Legion Post 158

P.O. Box 23482

Tigard, OR 97281

(503) 624-2332

jmpoling@comcast.net.

Governor Signs House Bill 3201

Oregon War Veterans Association today applauded Governor Kulongoski’s signing of Oregon House Bill 3201, an omnibus tax bill that includes multiple provisions to benefit veterans and their families.  The bill is the result of a session-long effort by Oregon War Veterans Association and the Oregon Legislature to provide important benefits to military members, veterans, and their families.

“This success marks the achievement of our number one objective this session,” said Greg Warnock, the Executive Director of Oregon War Veterans Association.  “One of the most critical needs for our veterans and their families is access to health care.  Those living in rural communities often have no local healthcare providers who will work with TRICARE.  These new incentives will help encourage more healthcare providers, especially in rural areas, to serve our veterans.”

House Bill 3201 directs the Office of Rural Health to establish a program to provide tax incentives for healthcare providers to enter the TRICARE system by providing a one-time tax credit of $2,500 for participation and an additional annual credit of $1,000 for treating TRICARE patients.  The legislation also gives healthcare providers tax free income in Oregon from their first 24 months of TRICARE revenues.

House Bill 3201 contains another important provision for veterans and their families: it raises the current deduction for military pay from $3,000 to $6,000, adjusting an index that has remained unchanged, despite inflation, for over 30 years.  “This is the kind of economic reform that helps our military members and their families where they need it most,” Warnock said.  “For many of our part-time citizen-soldiers, this revision will make nearly all income earned for service in the National Guard free from taxation in Oregon.”

The bill also gives a $6,000.00 tax benefit to the employees of the Oregon Youth Challenge Program, an alternative school for at-risk youth run through the Oregon Military Department, to the list of those eligible for this deduction.  This new tax incentive benefits not only military members, but also the children participating in the program.  The Deputy Director of the Oregon Military Department, Brigadier General Mike Caldwell, noted that “eighty-two percent of graduates of the Oregon Youth Challenge Program are still successful five years after graduating from the program.”  He went on to proclaim “Oregon War Veterans Associations leaders took it upon themselves to write and lobby support for the tax and health care benefits found in HB 3201.  Their hard work will positively impact all of our National Guard families, and we are happy to have had their assistance.”

Oregon War Veterans Association, a charitable organization founded by veterans for veterans, works aggressively to help veterans and their families, as well as members of the Oregon National Guard, get the respect and benefits they deserve for serving their country.

More can be learned about the Oregon War Veterans Association on their website and their new blog.