Heroes | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Heroes

Troy Field Memorial Day Service

On Memorial Day, May 30, citizens of Bend will gather at 8 a.m. to honor the fallen soldiers of Iraq and Afghanistan in a solemn special event at Troy Field. This is the ninth year that the memorial has been held and the third year at Troy Field. The service takes 14 hours to read all of the names. Led by Tracy Miller, a dedicated group of people read the name, age and hometown of each fallen hero, followed by a single beat of drum. Each volunteer will read for 30 minutes. Signs with the names of the dead will be displayed, made by volunteers in 2009.Those who attended are asked not to wear clothing or buttons with political signs or messages.

U.S. Senate and House Vote to Increase Services for Veterans and Families

Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced an important win for Oregon veterans in the Senate's passage of a bill that would help homeless veterans through a housing assistance and voucher program and address the issue of VA medical marijuana. In the House, Congressman Earl Blumenauer helped win a vote to include similar language into the House Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The annual military policy bill, passed in the House by a vote of 277 to 147. It includes $81.6 billion for Veterans Affairs and military construction.

National Moment of Remembrance

A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, May 30. No matter what time zone one is in, the moment of remembrance is at 3 p.m., to remember those who died while serving the country in the Armed Forces. In Oregon there are three national cemeteries for military veterans: Eagle Point National Cemetery, located 14 miles northeast of Medford, Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, and Roseburg National Cemetery in Roseburg. All three cemeteries will be open on Memorial Day. Flags are lowered to half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, and are then raised to full-staff for the rest of the day to symbolize that their sacrifices were not in vain.

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