Oregon War Veterans Blog

Mayoral Veteran's Ball

Salem Mayor Janet Taylor and the Board of Directors for the Oregon War Veterans Association (OWVA) are hosting the first Mayoral Veteran’s Ball and Awards Dinner Friday, November 16th, at the Salem Convention Center.

This formal event is open to the public, and will celebrate Oregon’s US Military Veterans and members of Oregon’s Military.  Several awards will be presented to 12 Oregonians for military leadership, citizenship and veteran services.

Congresswoman Darlene Hooley will be presented the OWVA Citizenship Award, for her service to Oregon’s Veterans. Other Citizenship awards will be presented to Salem Mayor, Janet Taylor, State Representatives- Donna Nelson, Jeff Barker and Former Speaker Karen Minnis. Q Madp, from IraqWarHeroes.org will also receive the citizenship award for his incredible work for the families of fallen members of Oregon’s military family.

Brigadier General Mike Caldwell and Brigadier General Doug Pritt will receive the OWVA Military Leadership Awards, for their dedication and service, which has affected the positive morale of the Oregon National Guard.

The OWVA Veteran Service Awards will be presented to Veteran Lobbyist, H.A. “Mac” MacDonald and Oregon Department of Veteran’s Affairs Director Jim Willis.

OWVA’s highest award- the OWVA DeShazer Award, will be presented to Mr. Del Smith, from Evergreen Aviation, and to VFW Member Dennis Guthrie, from Redmond.  “The DeShazer Award” honors Oregonian Jake DeShazer (WWII Doolittle Raider) who was a POW in Japan, and after the war returned to Japan as a minister to help General MacArthur in the post-war reconciliation effort.  DeShazer Awardees are combat veterans who devote a large part of their civilian lives to humanitarian or charitable endeavors.

Event Details:
OWVA- Mayoral Veteran’s Ball
Time: 7 PM Dinner and Awards.   8 PM Veteran’s Ball.
Place: Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St, Salem- Willamette Ballroom
Attire: Formal/ Semi Formal
Cost:  Free for Military and Veterans; Families of vets or military: $15.00 at the door; Others: $25.00 at the door.

A Special VIP reception is also being held at 6 PM; Cost $250.00 charitable contribution to OWVA

Please RSVP by Tuesday- November 13th, 2007

Contact Greg@owva.org
Or 503.689.4145

SAVE THE DATE!

Please RSVP with your complete contact information, so we can send you a formal invitation.

The event is likely to be one of the biggest events of the year, and we'd love to have you join us for the celebration!

We are also still looking for a few nominees for our DeShazer Awards (humanitarian) and Service Awards (statewide service to vets), so if you have someone in mind, contact us for more details. Deadline is Oct 15, for nominations)

Please pass this post and .pdf attachment on to your vet friends and supporters.

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Oregon War Veterans Association is having a Ball!

Who: You! (and up to 800 other veterans, ORNG members and their families and many of Oregon's VIP's)

What:  Oregon War Veterans Mayoral Ball (hosted by Salem's Mayor Janet Taylor) and awards celebration.

Four Jake DeShazer Awards (humanitarian) and four Oregon Veteran Service Awards(state-wide service to vets) will be presented. The nominees were given (in part) by the Oregon State Commanders of the American Legion and the VFW. 

When: Friday, November 16th, 2007. 

OWVA Award Presentations (with light buffet and desserts) begin at 7:00 PM

Mayoral Veteran’s Ball (dance) begins at 8:00 PM until 11:30 PM

Why: The event's purpose is to honor Oregon's military members and veterans, and to help raise funds for the Oregon National Guard Family Assistance Program, and OWVA's charitable and employment projects.

Where:  Salem's Convention Center, in the Willamette Ballroom.

Dress:  Civilian/veterans Black Tie, or Semi-formal.  Service members: Service Dress, or Class A.

Cost:  FREE for service members in uniform, or veterans with a veteran hat, insignia, pin, or other veteran ID.  All others: $15.00 per person, in advance, or at the door for $25.00.

Food and drinks are provided.  A no-host bar will serve beer, wine and mixed drinks.

OWVA's Platinum Sponsor of this Mayor Ball is TriWest Health Care Alliance.  TriWest is committed to providing access to the best quality health care and customer service for America's military families.  https://www.triwest.com/triwest/default.html

For more information on attendance, awards, sponsorships or VIP invitations, please contact:

Greg Warnock
Oregon War Veterans Association
greg@owva.org
(503) 689-4145

More to follow soon!

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.