Honoring our Veterans

Lt. Col. Kirsten Palmer and family

11/9/11 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser



As Veteran’s Day 2011 approaches, it is once again an honor and a privilege to thank all those who are serving and have served our country in the United States Armed Forces. If you’re reading this and are currently serving in the military here in the states or deployed overseas, here’s a special shout-out—Thank you!

Congratulations are also in order to a local girl, Kirsten M. Palmer, who was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force on Sept. 30, 2011 at the tender age of 38 years. She is the daughter of Ron and Linda Palmer of Cottage Grove and a 1991 graduate of Cottage Grove High School. She earned her commission in 1995 from the US Air Force Academy and also holds a Master’s Degree.

Lt. Col. Palmer is stationed in Washington, D.C. with her husband Major Roger Lang and their daughter Addyson Lang. Her title is Chief, Nuclear Logistics Integration and she works in the Nuclear Weapons, Missiles and Munitions Division at the Pentagon.

Palmer is a poster child for military recruitment. She exudes competence, enthusiasm for the Air Force, her job and love of country. Evidently her superiors noted the same qualities. At her recent promotion ceremony, the performance reports described her as dynamic, a first-class officer; a superb, inspirational leader; exceptionally skilled; and an innovative powerhouse.

Wow. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Palmer is one of thousands of veterans whom we yearly salute with pride. And here’s a little tidbit: Did you know that there are almost two million women veterans? Women have served in every conflict from the American Revolution to Iraq. During WWII almost 500,00 participated in some way; in the Korea era 120,000 women were in uniform and 7,000 were actively deployed during Vietnam.

The celebration of Veterans Day has changed over the years creating confusion for those of us who remember when it was a day set aside to honor those who died in battle or as a result of combat wounds. Memorial Day, is now the official day set aside to honor our war dead.

Our official Veteran’s Day now emphasizes on thanking the ‘living’ for their service to our country. We still remember those who have served but are encouraged to express our appreciation for those currently serving at home and around the world on our behalf.

On a national level, Veteran’s day will begin precisely at 11:00 a.m. with a wreath laying ceremony by President Obama at the Tomb of the Unknowns. It continues inside the Memorial Amphitheater with a parade of colors by veterans’ organizations and remarks from dignitaries. There is no outside parade in Washington D.C.

Later, wreathes are laid at different monuments and memorials including the World War II Memorial; the Vietnam Veterans and Vietnam Women’s Memorial; the Air Force Memorial; the Naval Memorial at the Lone Sailor Statue; at VA National Cemeteries; and a ceremonial sword cake cutting at the National Marine Corps Museum.

These are moving tributes—but how about you and me? How do we show honor and respect to those wearing the uniform and serving? Should we distinguish between veterans and combat veterans? What if we don’t know anyone in a war zone or even in uniform? There are so many questions.

I guess the place to begin is at the beginning: Respect the flag. Our men and women in the military are serving the USA and everything good that our flag represents. Most veterans hate to see it abused or neglected. As the flag passes in a parade, stand at attention and give the proper salute. Also stand for the National Anthem.

Make the most of your life. Don’t waste your time. Fighting men and women have sacrificed and provided us with freedom and opportunities that are unprecedented in other countries. Use and cherish those gifts they have given us.

Personally validate the person in uniform: Smile, say ‘thanks;’ tap your heart as you walk by; or engage them in conversation. It will be mutually benficial.

For those in war zones, take a moment to form a mental picture of their circumstances: blistering desert heat; cold, snowy nights; loneliness and uncertainty. Send small gifts to make their life bearable. Something you might enjoy. Check out an http://anysoldier.com/index.cfm for ideas. And pray for them—often!

Do something to make a bedridden veteran happy. There are many hospitalized or homebound veterans. Send notes or cards or best of all, visit a veteran in a local veterans home. But this is a little easier said than done. In fact, my idea bombed. I called both the VA Roseburg Healthcare System and the Portland VA Medical Center and got no response to my questions about visitors. If you do, please let me know.

And finally, as a confirmed dog lover, let me express my gratitude to The Dogs of War. This is something that we don’t often think about. Dogs are used by the military in war zones more than we realize. Check out: http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24412. They are heroes too.

In Guam, there is a memorial that says, “25 Marine War Dogs gave their lives liberating Guam in 1944. They served as sentries, messengers and scouts. They explored caves, detected mines and booby traps.” For them I send up prayers of gratitude and safety just as I do for their human handlers.

So, here’s to our comrades in arms—whether you march to the beat of ‘Aim High,’ ‘Above All,’ ‘Accelerate your life,’ ‘Be all you can be’ or ‘Semper Fi’ — Thank you! And may you soon live in peace.

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.

10/19/11 Colorful New England

Apple Barn, Vermont

Cape Elizabeth, Maine

North Conway, New Hampshire

10/19/11 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser

Inspiration from colorful New England towns

I was born with a yen-to-travel gene and I’m always updating a list of places I want to go. When I’m really bored, I don’t even mind getting lost in a strange city. I call it “a Kaiser adventure” and an opportunity to discover what’s around the next corner.

We had a few of those adventures on our recent trip to New England. Although we had been to some of the Northeast, we had not been to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont or Connecticut. So we planned a trip that included those states along with Massachusetts and Rhode Island where we had visited a couple of times.

Our goal was to visit as many small towns as possible and see if they were as charming as their pictures. We were not disappointed.

My inspiration was www.smalltowngems.com that I mentioned in a previous column. The site features appealing small towns with populations of 10,000 or less. Based on a variety of criteria, towns are either approved or disapproved as the best small town destination points for travelers.

We visited one of those ‘approved’ towns on our trip through the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. Every year, thousands of leaf peepers (such as ourselves) drive the Kancamagus Highway and view the brilliant fall foliage. This year (thanks to Hurricane Irene) the colors were rather muted but still beautiful. Colored leaves, however, weren’t our primary focus.

We were there to ride the world’s first mountain climbing cog railway up to the tallest peak in the East —Mt. Washington (6,288 ft.). The ride up was fascinating, loud and bumpy. At the summit, a sign said, “Welcome to Mt. Washington, home of the world’s worst weather.” And they weren’t kidding. A gale force wind was blowing rain sideways as we lurched into the visitor’s center. The hoped for view of four states, Quebec and the Atlantic Ocean was covered with layers of clouds. Darn.

North Conway, one of the desirable small towns on the Gems website changed our perspective. This little village with a population of less than 3,000 sits lower in the beautiful White Mountain region. The family oriented town features two covered bridges, ski resorts and Settler’s Green Village (New England’s largest Outlet mall) and a Covered Bridge Gift Shoppe, located in ... a covered bridge!

As you drive into town, however, it quickly becomes clear that their impressive Victorian train station is the town’s claim to fame. Wow. The elaborately painted turrets and gingerbread mark the building as special before you even walk in the station door. The Conway Scenic Railroad offers a variety of runs including fall foliage routes to Crawford Notch. Just being there made my heart happy.

A large green area separates the station from downtown Main Street where a Victorian theme has been maintained. Smack in the middle of the old town shopping center sits a bright white church with a copper steeple. The stone paved sidewalk running past the buildings has contrasting stones donated by residents. My favorite was a Scotty dog with the inscription, “Always loved.”

First impressions of towns and people are important. No. Conway and most of New England make great impressions. The streets are wide and clean; the buildings are painted clear, crisp and historically bright colors. Even the North Conway 5 and 10 cent Store is located in an historic building. Buntings and flags were on display everywhere. The town was quaint and inviting.

Now if there’s one way to get into trouble in a small town such as ours, it’s to compare us with another town. Or to suggest that perhaps our town could use sprucing up. So, here comes trouble: Our town can use some sprucing up. There, I’ve said it. And if you had traveled with me through dozens of small New England villages that are neat as a pin and hundreds of years old, I think you would agree.

Sure, our town has ‘good bones’ and an interesting history but we’re not ancient. And yes, we have nice people who do good things but aesthetically, we need some help. And that’s not just my opinion. I hear it from other residents all the time. In fact, the Gems website disqualified Cottage Grove from their recommended list.

Their review reads: “The downtown area of Cottage Grove has several large, interesting murals. But unfortunately, these are romantic depictions of the past, not the present. Other than the murals, I find nothing attractive about this town.” Ouch!

Now that was pretty harsh. Seems to me that most murals are depictions of the past. That’s what makes them interesting. And it didn’t even mention our downtown covered bridge or the soon to be departed Dr. Pierce Barn.

So I walked around downtown and then checked out Dr. P’s barn with a visitor’s eye. True, our wonderful barn has needed some serious attention for a long time and still does. In addition to paint and shoring up, some simple weed-whacking is needed to clean up the perimeter.

But frankly, I think our downtown is visually confusing. We have some wonderful murals that tell the Grove’s history. Our buildings tell another story and I’m not sure what that story is. Our history was in mining and logging. What should our buildings and businesses be saying now? Whatever it is, they need to say it together.

The City and many committees work on ideas for the Grove’s future. But what do you think? Is our town visually attractive? Or do we need some help? If so, where should we start? Drop me a note or give me a call and if there’s enough response, I’ll publish a list of ideas for consideration. I promise to be discreet.

In the meantime, I’ll be planning the next trip for Chuck and I to check out a different area of small town gems—maybe the Deep South.

Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com