Whispers from the Field of Flags

This article was originally published in October, 2006.

(SALEM) - Today I visited the field of flags here at River Front Park in Salem, Oregon, the Healing Field. I didn’t anticipate what I would feel as I walked through the rows. I simply just went down there to take some pictures and to see all the flags.

I knew why they were doing the event. I knew it was for the remembrance of our fallen soldiers and the victims of 9/11. I was surprised, though, by the intense emotions I suddenly felt rising in me.

Marine Spouse Battles Navy Over Contamination at Naval Base in Japan

Shelly Parulis, wife of a retired Marine Master Sergeant, is engaged in a running battle with the Navy over dioxin and other toxins at NAF Atsugi, Japan.

(ATSUGI, Japan) - No one assigned to Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, the home of Carrier Air Wing 5, would have suspected that duty in Japan could exposed them to toxic chemicals, including deadly dioxin, the carcinogen infamously associated with Agent Orange.

Shelly Parulis, a spouse of a retired Marine Master Sergeant who was stationed at Atsugi from 1995 to 1998, and her family suffered the results of toxic exposure and leads the effort to obtain compensation and health benefits for Atsugi veterans, dependents ad civilian workers.

Iraq War Coverage Tim King, Reporting

PTSD - Medical Marijuana Toxicology - Pharmacology

American Forces Continue to Imprison Reuters Photographer in Iraq

Advocates say Ibrahim Jassam's detention is illegal as the Iraqi central criminal court dismissed all charges against him last November.

(BAGHDAD, Iraq) - As US forces continue to withdraw from Iraq, a Reuters photographer remains detained despite court order, the group FreeDetainees.org says.

They report that as the US troops withdraw from Iraqi cities, many questions remain about the people still being held by the American military.

Salem Restaurant Dining Critic!

Salem's Cartoon Strip Only on Salem-News.com

BREAKING NEWS: Oregon Highway 18 Blocked Due to Injury Crash

The often busy coastal route closes down on one of the biggest tourism days of the year.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon State Police say they are on the scene of a multiple vehicle crash on Highway 18 just west of Van Duzer Corridor.

The wreck near milepost 8 has temporarily closed the Corridor as emergency crews, police and other crash responders make their way to the scene.

Highway 18 is a mostly rural highway that spans from the Willamette Valley in McMinnville, to the coastal town of Lincoln City and other points north and south.

Father and Son Found Dead From Traumatic Injuries in McMinnville

McMinnville Police Officers Investigating two males found deceased in apartment‏.

(MCMINNVILLE, Ore.) - Police in McMinnville are investigating the deaths of two men, a father and son, whose bodies were found this morning at about 10:30 a.m.

Captain Dennis Marks with McMinnville PD, says Officers responded to the report of the two deceased males at 915 SW Cozine Lane #16. Upon arrival, they found 59-year old Thomas D Marshall and his son, 22-year old Sean T Marshall deceased from obvious traumatic injuries.

Oregon Guard Prepares for Iraq Deployment (VIDEO)‏

A large percentage of these "citizen soldiers" comprising this Tigard, Oregon based National Guard unit, are highly experienced and decorated combat veterans.

(FORT STEWART Ga.) - Oregon National Guard soldiers with the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team were honored during a special sendoff ceremony Friday in Fort Stewart Georgia.
The roughly 3,500 41st IBCT Oregon soldiers are preparing to spend about a year in Iraq, where the U.S. presence is quickly drawing back after the recent July 1st deadline to vacate Iraq's major cities.

Give Meaning Back to Independence Day

If you believe in democracy, we need freedom of the press. Support it with your modest amounts—tens and twenties or more if you can afford it—and know that you’re doing something for the world in which your children will live.

(CALGARY, Alberta) - We all know what self-censorship is. On a daily basis we routinely censor ourselves knowing that we should not say certain things to co-workers, friends, or family, just to keep relationships running smoothly (or, often, to keep our job). It’s not, in principle, a bad thing to do even though it’s sometimes just a way to put off unpleasant things until the future.

Where self-censorship is bad, even harmful to democracy is in our news media.

Tylenol, Liver Destruction & Death

I have heard that the drug manufactures lobby to congress is very strong and very generous with its money (bribes??). Did Vioxx, FDA approved, cause several thousand deaths??

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The FDA has the most miserable record of monitoring for safe and unsafe medicines in the world. Vioxx and thalidomide come to mind but they also approved tobacco (as being harmless???).

The lethal toxicity of Tylenol has been known since at least 1975 when it appeared in the most prominent Pharmacology book by Goodman & Gilman. The Chinese took note of this and it has been illegal to import Tylenol into China for many years.

Op Ed for Salem-News
Op Ed: 'D-I-Y' Governance
Now Demanded For Second 'New Deal'

Where’s the strong, impassioned, continuing and overwhelming true “public opinion” which was so forceful a strong factor in New Deal days, surely felt by the Congress?

(EUGENE, Ore.) - Long-prevailing conservative myth-making states that “the New Deal failed to end the Depression, with World War II the real factor for eventual return to prosperity.”

That erroneous story is now recognized as a canard, distorted Far Right propaganda to denigrate the New Deal and its far-reaching changes of American lifestyle and inevitable impact of democracy on the whole world.

Oregon National Guard Fourth of July Flyovers‏

All passes will be approximately 1,000 feet above ground level and 350 knots airspeed.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - The Oregon Air National Guard will conduct Independence Day flyovers for various ceremonies at locations throughout Oregon, Southwest Washington, and Northern California.

Two F-15 Eagle fighter jets from the 142nd Fighter Wing in Portland and two F-15 Eagle fighters home-based out of 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field are scheduled to fly over community events throughout Oregon, Southwest Washington and Northern California at several times and locations.

Almost 50 U.S. Casualties in Iraq & Afghanistan Reported in June

14 members of the U.S. military have lost their lives in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, between June 21st and June 29th 2009. They bring the total reported in June to 48, according to our numbers.

(SALEM, Ore.) - There has been little reprieve for American combat forces fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The serious business of war has been charging the United States interest, and casualties are mounting as Coalition forces vacate Iraq's larger cities and increasingly patrol Afghanistan's hostile environments. The fallen represent a broad cross-section of American culture and they hail from all over the country. The average age of this group is 28.

Mount Hood's Dangerous Awe-Inspiring Beauty

High altitude affects you in many ways. By the second break we are at 10,100 feet and I care less and less. I wonder, “What have I done?”

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Snow Cat spins 180 degrees and backs up about 30 feet. The ramp is lowered and the driver opens our door. Six climbers and two guides exit, one guide scrapes the snow with his toe and says, “crampon’s for sure”.

Without hesitation, we all turn our head lamps and strap crampon’s onto our mountaineering boots. Its 12:25 Father’s Day morning 2009.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

I believe the serenity prayer (and I'm not in AA) really says it all about how to view the world.

(AGOURA, Calif.) - No, I'm not writing about the movie or its wonderful music. Instead, this column will contain lists of random things that I think fit those three categories. I was driving to Mammoth, a ski resort we frequent, alone and early in the morning and began reflecting on my life.

I had a rough period recently and was feeling a bit blue. I know that that feeling is fleeting and I have much to be grateful for. In fact, I know that gratitude is the key to happiness.

Salem Police Offer Safety Tips for Independence Day

There are over 10,000 injuries reported in the United States each year from the misuse of both legal and illegal fireworks.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Salem Police Department, Marion County Sheriff's Office, Keizer Police Department, Salem Fire Department and Keizer Fire District would like to remind everyone of the need to be safe with fireworks as we go into the 4th of July celebrations.

Each year, police and fire departments respond to numerous complaints involving illegal fireworks. Illegal fireworks can disrupt the peaceful celebrations of others and can ruin the tranquility and livability of a neighborhood as well.

Reverend Benny & Mister Sid's At Your Service #51

I hate to say it, but I remember the Jackson 5 before Michael joined them.

(Salem) - Michael Jackson is gone. Another pop icon now left us. None of us is immortal.

I saw Michael Jackson once in a parade in Gary, Indiana when he was just a bouncy little kid with a fro and a fringe jacket. He stood on an Oscar Meyer weiner float and threw candy to the bystanders on Broadway. Those were Jackson 5 Days and Michael was just one of the team then.

Boulders on Your Path to Recovery

The Management Moments series by Doug Dickerson is a weekly column designed to bring inspiration to those in the workplace and beyond.

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) - While there is still a long way to go, we are slowly seeing signs that the economy is trying to make a comeback.

Positioning yourself for the turnaround begins now so as not to be behind the curve when the recovery takes place. Think about it for a moment, what will your company look like in six months, a year from now? While it may be difficult to predict, the time is now to think strategically about your future.

I am reminded of a story about how a king in ancient times placed a boulder on a roadway.

SPECIAL FEATURE: 'Where There's Smoke - There's Fire' (VIDEO)

Special feature video report by Gerrit Roelof and Jerry Freeman on wildland firefighter training in Oregon.

(SWEET HOME, Ore.) - It's hard to underestimate the importance of fire safety in a state like Oregon. This week, in preparation for the upcoming summer fire season, students are learning the finer points of wildland firefighting and honing their skills, until they get it right.

Paul Heibert, the incident commander at the wildland firefighter school, says a lot of the work is standardized training. "It's done nationally and we don't have a lot of wiggle room as far as what we teach them. which I'd say is a good thing. So three of the five days we have the mandatory stuff and the rest of it we have some play."

'A Dictionary for Gil'

Your office, Mr. Kerlikowske, does not offer protection from the truth. Maintaining the drug war's lies has cost far too many innocent lives, and ended or destroyed the lives of far too many of our police officers.

(EUGENE, Ore.) - I nearly sprayed coffee on my monitor when I watched our nation's new head of the White House Office of No Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske, say legalization is not in his vocabulary. I wondered if perhaps someone had removed the word from my dictionary!

So, I opened up my Funk & Wagnalls... flipped... through the pages... to... "L." Sure enough, right there on page 772 - "legalize." And in noun form, "legalization." To make legal.

War and PTSD: A Discussion Regarding the Documentary (VIDEO)

Viewers learn more about our upcoming documentary that will help countless thousands of U.S. combat vets.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The first time we produced a television documentary the project was for Oregon Public Broadcasting, the year was 1993, and the subject was the story of the sole survivor of the WWII B-17 bomber crash on Cape Lookout in Oregon.

Now we are engaged in the production of a documentary about a huge subject: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is a condition experienced by people who survive any range of traumatic events, and combat heads the list of reasons that people end up living with PTSD.