House passes State Representative John Huffman’s resolution designating Oregon a Purple Heart State

On June 3 the House unanimously passed a resolution designating Oregon as a Purple Heart State. The resolution, sponsored by Rep. John Huffman (R-District 59) and others, honors the service and sacrifice of those men and women in uniform who have been killed or wounded in our wars. 6,022 Oregon vets were killed in combat and approximately 15,050 vets were wounded during the five major wars from World War I to the present. This means that over 21,000 Oregonians have been eligible for the Purple Heart award. Continue reading →

Veterans across Oregon will work together to raise the necessary funds to place and maintain the markers for the three highways newly designated as Veterans Memorial Highways and the Purple Heart Trail. When the project is completed, Oregon will have named highways honoring the vets who served in the nation’s five major wars, beginning with World War I. The veterans have already raised the funds and placed 34 markers honoring those who served in World War II (US Hwy 97) and the Vietnam War (I-84). Now they will raise about $40,000 for markers to honor vets of World War I (Hwy 395), the Korean War (I-5), and the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Wars (US Hwy 101). I-5 will also become a Purple Heart Trail, completing the trail that stretches from southern California to northern Washington.

“Veterans groups will all get together and find the money,” said Dick Tobiason, the vet who first approached Rep. John Huffman to ask him to sponsor a bill that would create Veterans Memorial Highways. “They can find the money amongst themselves or they can go ask county commissioners or ask businesses or find individuals or they can have spaghetti feeds, steak fries—whatever they want.”

Tobiason said there is a possibility that they might be able to take advantage of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department grant fund, which would pay 80% of the cost. Details have yet to be worked out.

Once the necessary funds are raised, ODOT will make and install the signs.

Rep. Carla Piluso (D-Gresham) has introduced a bill to establish a Women Veterans Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The coordinator would help female vets and their families access their benefits. Out of the 331,632 veterans living in Oregon, 28,483 are women. Vets are entitled to a variety of medical, educational, housing, and other support services, but many female vets are not taking advantage of these. In 1994, Congress established the Center for Women Veterans, and today almost all states have State Women Veterans Coordinators, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.