Oregon
Veteran remembers those who sacrificed all during Oregon’s Memorial Day service
:quality(70):focal(1930x1782:1940x1792)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/NPTYRQJ2LNB7PIDYWAO5L7PVSQ.jpg?ssl=1 "Veteran remembers those who sacrificed all during Oregon’s Memorial Day service")
OREGON – Tina West served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and shared a brief insight into her military career under a picture-perfect sky at Oregon’s Memorial Day services Monday.
“During my time in service, I faced challenges that all women within the military face. Challenges of just being a female in a male dominated arena, being a single mom, and deployments into war zones,” she said before a crowd of about 100 people at the Riverside Cemetery.
West served from 1998 to 2018 as a technical sergeant with five deployments: Kosovo in 1999, Qatar in 2003 and 2004, Afghanistan in 2009 and Saudi Arabia in 2015.
She was stationed at multiple bases during her tenure: Lakenheath AB in the United Kingdom, Charleston AFB in South Carolina, Edwards AFB and Beale AFB both in California, and finally Scott AFB in southern Illinois.
West’s job was originally called the Services Career Field, but was changed to Force Support a few years before her retirement. Those duties included multiple areas including food service, fitness, lodging or hotel management and the readiness section for preparing airmen for deployments, mortuary affairs, and protocol.
“I have worked in all of these areas and let me tell you some are really fun and enjoyable; others were depressing and hard to get up and accomplish every day,” she said.
“As we are gathered here for Memorial Day, which is a day to remember all those that have served and lost their lives, I will tell you about one of my jobs I held while in the Air Force. I will also explain why I am not wearing my dress uniform, which most persons giving a speech or an event wear. During my tenure at Scott Air Force Base, here in Illinois, I was the Mortuary Affairs Officer.”
The primary purpose of that position was to assist families with funeral services for their loved ones, she said, explaining that she would travel with her commander to the homes of the deceased and speak with their spouse or parents to determine how to assist their family.
“A lot of times this was met with anger and of course sadness for their loss,” she said. “On top of arranging funeral services, I was also charged with inspecting the remains of the deceased to ensure that they were properly dressed in their dress uniforms, and presentable for the families to see. This particular job takes a toll on those that perform it, you lose a sense of yourself and shut off emotions to be able to survive. Seeing friends and families hurting on a daily basis, not understanding why their loved ones died, be this by suicide, accident, cancer, war, or other natural causes,” she said.
“The last time I wore my service dress uniform was at my grandfather’s funeral a few years ago, I will only wear this uniform for funeral services. Even for my own retirement I wore the uniform that I am currently in. My dress uniform holds memories of seeing families broken and at their worst, trying to deal with hardships that no parent or spouse should have to experience,” she said.
West reflected on how the role of women in military service has evolved.
“While all branches of the military have been around for quite some time, and women did serve in the military, they weren’t allowed to fill all positions. In the late 80s and 90s women were not allowed in combat units or positions that would include direct combat, hostile fire, or capture. Women in the military didn’t start to participate in combat roles until 2015 when the ban on women in combat was lifted. This meant that women could join career fields that were predominately male,” she said.
West told the crowd that her daughter, Eliana, a recent Oregon High School graduate, is joining the Army to become a Cavalry Scout.
“This job leads, serves, or assists as a member of a scout crew in reconnaissance, security, cordon/search, and other combat operations,” she said. “The first female Cavalry Scout in the U.S. Army didn’t happen until 2016; as of a few years ago this career field is still only roughly 2% female.”
West reminded everyone to remember that even though the military is predominantly male, there are those who serve who are female.
“It’s not always the wife/mother sending the husband or son to war, now it could be the husband or father sending their wife, mother or daughter to war to serve their country,” she said. “Today is Memorial Day, which is a day to remember, show respect, and honor the brave men and women who died while in the service to our country. They paid the ultimate sacrifice and are missed by spouses, children, parents, extended family, friends, and their comrades every day of the year. This day I encourage you to reflect on their sacrifice,” she said.
HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. (KATU) — Health officials have identified a new measles exposure site in Happy Valley.
The Oregon Health Authority and Clackamas County public health officials said people may have been exposed at Providence Immediate Care – Happy Valley, 16180 S.E. Sunnyside Road, Suite 102, between 11:05 a.m. and 3:47 p.m. Tuesday, May 12.
Officials said anyone who was at the clinic during that time should notify a health care provider about the possible exposure. Providers can determine whether a person is immune to measles by reviewing vaccination records, age or laboratory evidence of a previous infection.
Health officials urged people to monitor for symptoms and seek medical advice if they believe they may have been exposed.
ABOUT MEASLES
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, speaks, coughs or sneezes. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours and can infect up to 90% of unprotected close contacts. Complications can include pneumonia, brain inflammation and death.
Nationwide, measles cases have been rising since early 2025. Nearly 2,300 cases were reported last year, with most occurring among unvaccinated children.
Symptoms typically begin seven to 21 days after exposure and include cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis accompanied by a high fever. A rash usually follows, starting on the head or neck and spreading downward. People are contagious from four days before the rash appears until four days after.
A graphic from the Oregon Health Authority shows the symptoms of Measles.
HA advises health care providers to report suspected cases immediately and consider post-exposure treatment for exposed patients. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine can be given within 72 hours of exposure. Immunoglobulin may be administered within six days.
For most people 6 months and older who are eligible for vaccination, receiving the MMR vaccine within 72 hours of exposure is recommended.
Anyone not protected against measles is at risk, according to OHA. The agency encourages residents to check their vaccination status and contact a health care provider with questions.
Oregon police have arrested two suspects in connection with the shooting of a father who drove himself to a hospital after being struck in the head by a bullet after shots rang out while he was pulling out of In-N-Out drive-thru with his wife and two young sons.
Ethan Adrian Armenta-Lagunas, 20, and Gabriel “Alex” Javier, 18, both of Salem, were taken into custody Wednesday.
They face charges of first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, criminal mischief, and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the Feb. 9 shooting of Marcio Garcia.
Multiple guns were allegedly found at Armenta-Lagunas’ apartment, the Keizer Police Department said. Javier was arrested later in the day.
Authorities are still searching for a third suspect, 22-year-old Anthony Taylor-Manriquez, who is considered armed and dangerous.
Garcia, 28, was in a car with his wife and two children, ages 2 and 7, when shots rang out near the burger chain.
The gunfire shattered the car windows and struck Garcia in the head; his wife and children were uninjured, police said.
“In the middle of chaos and fear, while he was injured and in pain, he somehow found the strength to drive us out of the scene to safety,” his wife wrote in an online fundraiser.
“He protected our family before thinking of himself. That is the kind of man and father he is.”
Images posted online showed the bullet that was removed from Garcia’s head during surgery in February, according to his wife.
She also noted that Garcia did not suffer major brain damage and is currently recovering at home.
“The doctors told us what we already believe — this is nothing short of a miracle,” she said. “Now he faces a long road of rest, healing, and recovery.”
PeaceHealth announced Thursday that Dr. Jim McGovern is no longer serving as chief executive for the organization’s Oregon region, effective immediately.
Following a period of administrative leave, we determined that a leadership change was in the best interest of the organization,” said Sarah Ness, PeaceHealth president and CEO.
Heather Wall will continue in her established interim leadership role to ensure continuity, stability and uninterrupted operations across the Oregon region while PeaceHealth recruits for the chief executive role in Oregon.
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“Together, as we shape our future, PeaceHealth leaders are entrusted to consistently bring our Mission and Values to life by creating environments where caregivers and partners feel seen, heard, supported and inspired to do their best work,” Ness said. “We remain focused on delivering high-quality, compassionate care and supporting our caregivers as we move forward together.”
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