War Coverage Fundraiser Held Sunday at Eola Hills Winery in Rickreall

The event is Sunday, March 9th, at Eola Hills Winery in Rickreall, Oregon. You can also make a PayPal donation on this page.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Salem-News.com's Tim King in Kabul, Afghanistan, November, 2006. Tim covered the war in Afghanistan during the winter of 2006/07. Photo by Janette Arencibia, U.S. Navy

(SALEM, Ore.) - While deployed in a yearlong tour of duty, Oregon National Guard soldiers in Iraq are getting little in the way of coverage from state media outlets, and the national media has also greatly reduced their flow of information on the war.

We believe this is extremely important information to all Oregonians, so for the second time, our groundbreaking company will send a correspondent into a combat zone.

Salem-News.com's video reports are available instantly on a worldwide basis, so our reporter Tim King will head to Iraq at the end of this month to report from the war for four to six weeks while embedded with three different Oregon Guard units and one regular U.S. Army Division.

In addition to the daily reports on Salem-News.com, Oregon Public Broadcasting has expressed interest in a documentary featuring the coverage after Tim returns.

The costs associated with this trip are steep. Fortunately we have a number of assets that already make this type of coverage possible.

We remain interested in upgrading some of the technical components and improving the quality of the combat gear Tim will use while covering the war.

We also need help with travel expenses.

Oregonians and out of state visitors are invited to attend a special event this weekend and support our coverage of Oregonians as we continue to emerge as one of the nation's highly ranked, cutting edge new media sources.

What sets us apart is private ownership, something all too lacking in media these days.

For those not interested in donating, but would like to support these reports, there are a number of advertising opportunities available. More information on advertising is listed at the bottom of the page.

Join us Sunday, March 9th

A map to the Eola Hills Winery in Rickreall, Oregon, across from the Polk County Fairgrounds, can be found by clicking this caption

For those who can attend, a special event will be held Sunday, March 9th at Eola Hills Winery in Rickreall, Oregon, from 12:30-3:00 PM. Eola Hills is a Salem-News.com sponsor that was also instrumental in helping us raise funds for the trip to Afghanistan.

All of those who help will be credited in our war reports.

There are a number of items mentioned below that will greatly affect the success of our work in Iraq. Tim's experience of two months over the winter of 2006/07 covering the Oregon Guard in Afghanistan allows Salem-News.com to have a much clearer idea about what it takes to cover war.

Here are some of the items that will greatly assist this project:

Need: Cellular phone and calling plan (International)

Need: Blackberry phone

Need: Good quality digital still camera

X Helmet mounted video cameras (This need is met by the owner of a Michigan company, V.I.O.-P.O.V., that contacted Salem-News.com with a goal of providing the two required cameras. THANK YOU.)

Need: Dual core laptop computer

Need: External hard drives, flash drives and SD cards (Kevin's Driftboats is providing a 128 MB SD card)

Need: Improved body armor (Tim currently has a Salem Police SWAT vest but it does not stop the AK-47 round as the soldier's body armor does) (Rec'd: $50 toward vest)

Need: Clothing items: other things such as thermals, hiking socks, military style pants (Kevin's Driftboats is providing some clothing items and a waterproof pack)

Need: Travel Expenses: Tim will travel from New York to Kuwait with Evergreen Aviation, but round trip travel, food and lodging costs still exist from Oregon to New York

You can make a PayPal donation with your credit card at the bottom of the page

If any groups, individuals or companies would particularly like to raise Tim's safety level while in Iraq, please consider providing an upgraded ballistic type vest.
We have already received our first $50 PayPal donation for that specific goal.

Contact Bonnie King at: bonnie@salem-news.com and tell her what you would like to do to help. Tim is the father of several boys ranging from 8 to 24 and they all appreciate the community's support in making this a safe and effective project.

To Help, donate via PayPal:

To send a check:
Salem-News.com
Attn: Iraq Trip
P.O. Box 5137
Salem, Oregon 97304

THANK YOU!!

Other stories on Tim's upcoming war coverage in Iraq:

• Making War Coverage a National Community Project
• If you Really Care About our Soldiers in Iraq
• Salem-News Reporter Heads to War Again

Also, Tim wants to thank all of the people who helped with his work in Afghanistan. Even if Tim can not upgrade his ballistic vest, he has one he can use in the meanwhile thanks to the Salem, Oregon Police SWAT team. He has a combat helmet from Nopp's Jewelers in Salem. They are only part of the help we received, and we have not forgotten that generosity. We hope you feel it was put to good use.

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For more information on advertising, please write to Bonnie King at: adsales@salem-news.com