Oregon

Veteran remembers those who sacrificed all during Oregon’s Memorial Day service

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2024

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.

Veteran Tina West speaks at the Memorial Day service at Riverside Cemetery in Oregon on Monday, May 27, 2024. (Earleen Hinton)

“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.

Oregon VFW members salute as two wreathes are placed on Lorado Taft’s Soldier and Sailor Monument on the Ogle County Courthouse Lawn as part of Memorial Day services in Oregon on Monday, May 27, 2024. (Earleen Hinton)

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Oregon

Where Oregon Ducks rank in industry recruiting rankings for 2027 class

Published

1 hour ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Where Oregon Ducks rank in industry recruiting rankings for 2027 class

With the winter evaluation period of high school football recruiting now behind us, we’ve seen some of the top recruiting sites update their rankings over the past few weeks and start to reset their boards for the 2027 class. In February, On3 shifted players around after getting fresh looks at the class, and 247Sports did the same earlier this week.

So with Oregon’s handful of commits getting new ratings, where does the Ducks’ class rank nationally in this cycle?

If you look at sites individually, it looks different, with 247Sports having Oregon sitting at No. 13 in the nation. At Rivals, though, they take the industry ranking, which factors in their own rankings, plus an average from 247Sports and ESPN.

In the industry rankings, Oregon sits at No. 9 in the nation, with five commitments.

Going into the summer months, the Ducks are in a great spot, leading or among the top schools for a handful of the top prospects in the nation, like 5-star QB Will Mencl or 5-star WR Dakota Guerrant. We will see what movement Oregon can make in the coming months after official visits take place early in the summer.

Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.

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Oregon

New Data Shows Oregon E-Scooter Injuries on the Rise

Published

13 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

New Data Shows Oregon E-Scooter Injuries on the Rise

Data released by the Oregon Health Authority this week suggests Oregonians are getting hurt on electric scooters more every year.

In recent years, according to OHA, an “e-scooter-specific code” was developed for health care tracking purposes.

From 2021 to 2024, annual injury reports under this code from Oregon hospitals and emergency departments jumped from 211 to 418.

And in just the first nine months of 2025, there had been 509 such reports.

“These injuries are not minor scrapes,” said Dagan Wright, an OHA epidemiologist, in a written statement. “They often involve head injuries, broken bones, and other serious trauma that requires emergency or inpatient care.”

The city of Portland signed contracts with three e-scooter rental companies in 2018, as the transportation craze spread across the country. But e-scooter injury diagnosis codes are relatively new in health care reporting, Wright said in the OHA statement.

“While the overall numbers remain smaller than for other transportation-related injuries, the rapid increase over a short period of time is a clear safety signal,” OHA added.

The agency highlighted the story of Portland e-scooter commuter Daniel Pflieger, who it says was riding a scooter home when he reportedly slid on ice. He bruised several ribs.

Sometimes outcomes are worse. OHA identified 17 deaths linked to electric or motorized scooters since 2018, and seven of those occurred in 2025.

OHA says that e-bikes raise many similar safety concerns as e-scooters. The first full year for which e-bike injuries were coded for reporting was 2023. State data shows 392 reported e-bike injuries that year, 683 in 2024, and 760 in the first nine months of 2025.

“Injuries involving e-bikes and e-scooters share common risk factors—speed, lack of helmet use, roadway design, and interactions with motor vehicles,” Wright said.

Oregon E-Scooter Injuries on the Rise (Source: Oregon Health Authority)

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Oregon women’s basketball playing for March Madness seeding vs. Purdue

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Oregon women’s basketball playing for March Madness seeding vs. Purdue

At times, the Oregon women’s basketball team has certainly made things much harder on themselves than it needs to be. The team has also produced some miraculous comeback victories, putting itself in position to make women’s March Madness for the second straight season.

March 1, in their final regular season game, the Ducks (20-11, 8-10 Big Ten) finished on the wrong end of yet another tight game to Washington, 70-69. It’s the second time this season Oregon has come back from a double-digit deficit, but ended up losing to the Huskies (20-9, 10-8).

Those aren’t the only times Oregon has come back from a double-digit deficit, like it did in wins vs. Nebraska and USC. The No. 11-seed Ducks are hoping they won’t need heroics in a Big Ten tournament first-round game against No. 14 Purdue this Wednesday.

Watch Oregon basketball on Peacock

“I think our biggest weakness this year has been our inconsistency,” coach Kelly Graves said, “something we’ve battled all year. The great thing is our kids know, regardless of the score, we’ve got a chance. We’ll make it a game at some point. As a coach, it drives you nuts. Hopefully we can figure it out and play more consistent basketball.”

Oregon’s volatility has seen it earn three double-digit comeback wins this year, but also blow several games in the final moments.

Against Wisconsin, the Ducks held a 6-point lead with less than a minute remaining, but lost in overtime. Against Illinois, Oregon held a 21-point lead at halftime, blew it in the third quarter, trailed by eight with minutes to play and somehow eked out a win.

That makes UO somewhat of a wild card heading into the conference tournament this week at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

“It’s definitely (been) a rollercoaster,” guard Katie Fiso said. “A lot of highs and a lot of lows. But one thing that I try to see through all games is our grittiness and our toughness. One thing that stays consistent throughout the season is our toughness and our grittiness. The game isn’t over until the last bell rings.”

The Ducks will be taking on a Boilermakers (13-16, 5-13) team that has struggled against most of the top competition in the league, but played Oregon tight in a Feb. 25 Ducks win.

Graves said when the Ducks went throughout the postgame handshake line after, the Boilermakers felt like their season would end after the regular season. Thanks to some upsets, Purdue is in the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 14 seed.

“We’re playing a team that probably feels like it’s playing with house money,” Graves said. “We’ve got to pick ourselves back up and get it done.”

What channel is Oregon vs. Purdue on today in Big Ten tournament?

Oregon will tip off vs. Purdue on Peacock, with no TV option to watch the game.

Oregon vs. Purdue start time in Big Ten tournament

Date: Wednesday, March 4
Time: Around 5:30 p.m. PT

Oregon and Purdue will play around 5:30 p.m. PT at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The first game of the day begins at 12:30 p.m. PT, with the next game 25 minutes after the first game ends, and so on. The Ducks play in the third game of the day, so no official tip time is listed.

Oregon women’s basketball schedule 2025-26

Below are the past five games of Oregon’s 2025-26 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here.

Feb. 15	Washington 51, Oregon 43
Feb. 19	Oregon 80, Nebraska 76
Feb. 22	Indiana 72, Oregon 65
Feb. 25	Oregon 71, Purdue 65
March 1	Washington 70, Oregon 69
March 4	Oregon vs. Purdue (Big Ten tournament)

Purdue women’s basketball schedule 2025-26

Below are the past five games of Purdue’s 2025-26 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here.

Feb. 14	Purdue 72, Rutgers 57
Feb. 19	Iowa 83, Purdue 74
Feb. 22	Maryland 99, Purdue 66
Feb. 25	Oregon 71, Purdue 65
March 1	Purdue 67, Northwestern 62
March 4	Oregon vs. Purdue (Big Ten tournament)