Dan Brophy, a decorated Marine combat veteran and The Dalles outpost leader for Pointman Ministries, will take the role of grand marshal for the local Fourth of July parade. “I think the Fourth is a time for us to appreciate America, and celebrate in an appropriate way the freedom we have as a nation,” Brophy said of serving as “pointman” for the third annual Independence Day celebration.
Norman Vincent, 68, had to fight back tears when several residents of The Dalles showed up at his motel room door on Feb. 19 to deliver a motorized wheelchair. After all, a Navy veteran is supposed to be stalwart and not show emotion. “I’ve been in a wheelchair for so long,” said Vincent. “I think very much of this. I did my time and I paid taxes all my life and now I need a little help.”
Before a backdrop of modern houses and irrigated orchards, an ancient battle raged at the Hood River County fairgrounds last weekend.
I have been in the military for 18 years, with three deployments to the Middle East. I was in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-91. Then I was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004-05 and Operation New Dawn (also in Iraq) in 2010-11. These tours of duty have caused multiple problems in my life – physically, emotionally, mentally and financially. America will always be the place that I love to call home but this country has taken a toll on me and many soldiers like me. Way too many problems for such little pay!
Every day is Memorial Day for a combat veteran who often struggle for years, if not a lifetime, to make sense of what happened in war, according to Dr. Pat Stone, a decorated Vietnam veteran.
Pat Stone went to war in the steamy jungles of Vietnam almost four and a half decades ago, yet the sadness and horror of his combat experience remain fresh in his memories, emerging through the course of any average day.
To the editor: Mission: Provide an opportunity to introduce or reintroduce our military wounded combat veterans to the outdoors.
The book “Living the Oath: Warriors Take It, Families Endure It” written by Marine mom and The Dalles Chronicle reporter RaeLynn Ricarte has 35 chapters and includes stories from 29 warriors and military family members.
The Dalles unit isn’t scheduled to be part of one of last American deployments to Afghanistan OCHARD COMBAT TRAINING CENTER, Idaho — Top leaders of Oregon’s largest Guard unit are counting on a deep pool of experience to help the outfit succeed as it prepares to be one of the last American military units to deploy to Afghanistan next year.
