Wreaths Across America Events Hosted in Oregon
Volunteers will place holiday wreaths to honor and remember our nation’s Veterans at many of VA’s national cemeteries this Saturday, Dec. 17 during this year’s national Wreaths Across America event.
Volunteers will place holiday wreaths to honor and remember our nation’s Veterans at many of VA’s national cemeteries this Saturday, Dec. 17 during this year’s national Wreaths Across America event.

The surprise strike by Japanese aircraft against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, killed more than 2,400 military personnel and wounded nearly 1,200. Sixty-eight civilians were killed and 103 were wounded. Additionally, all eight of the Navy’s battleships were damaged or sunk, and 188 aircraft were destroyed.

ODVA annually compiles a list of statewide Veterans Day events, parades and ceremonies which are published in Vets News, on ODVA’s blog and in a news release to statewide media.

Governor Kate Brown proclaims September 25, 2016 to be Gold Star Families Day in Oregon.

Meet with the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs Women Veterans Coordinator in your community for a listening session. What are your experiences in obtaining veteran services or benefits in your community, nearby medical center, and clinics?

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Walla Walla VA Medical Center, will present the Purple Heart tomorrow to a disabled veteran who was severely injured during the Vietnam War over 50 years ago.

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ second annual Veteran Benefit Expo will be held Sept. 8 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, bringing together close to 100 federal, state and local providers of programs and services that benefit veterans and their families.

The next meeting of the Advisory Committee to the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon Sept. 7 at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles. The public is invited to attend and participate.

On Oct. 12, 1864, a man named Jewett Williams joined the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army. The 21-year-old son of Canadian immigrants and small-town farmers, he went on to participate in several decisive engagements that helped secure the Union’s victory in the waning months of the Civil War.

Today is Atomic Veterans Day. The occasion was first declared in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, to mark the anniversary of the earliest detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, and to honor the hundreds of thousands of U.S. service members who witnessed and participated in the some 235 nuclear weapons tests that occurred between 1945 and 1963.

One of the largest veteran resource events in the state will be held in central Oregon next month, when the Veteran Benefit Expo kicks off at 10 a.m. July 15 at the Deschutes Fair & Expo Center in Redmond.
With over 75 booths featuring state and federal service providers, non-profit agencies, employers and other local partners, this free event promises to bring together the best benefits, resources and programs Oregon has to offer veterans and their families.

In honor of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ 71st anniversary, which we recognize today, we offer a look back at some of the highlights from the agency’s history. The following are excerpts from the Vets News veterans newsletter, published regularly since Aug. 16, 1946.