22
Wednesday, June 1, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
FALLEN: Speaker
extolled the virtues of
service and sacrifice
Land proposal could
spark standoff
Continued from page 1
Karl Baldessari, Captain, U.S.
Coast Guard (Retired). A vet-
eran of drug interdiction and
search and rescue mission in
the Atlantic and Caribbean,
he completed a 25-year career
serving as Chief of Response
for the 13th Coast Guard
District, which has respon-
sibility for all Coast Guard
operations conducted in the
Pacific Northwest.
Captain Baldessari urged
the audience to be mindful of
those who are serving in dan-
ger right now.
“For every one of us here
today, there’s somebody put-
ting themselves in harm’s
way in support of their coun-
try and each other,” he said.
For Baldessari, that is the
very definition of heroism.
“Call me old-fashioned,
but I don’t consider actors
and actresses or professional
sports figures heroes,” he
said. Heroes, for him, are
“ordinary people, separated
by a single act — or perhaps
a lifetime — of sacrifice.”
The Coast Guard Captain
reflected upon the nature of
serving in an environment
where “we literally held each
others’ lives in our hands.”
By Andrew Selsky
Associated Press
photo by sue stafford
Pat Bowe, double Purple Heart recipient; John Ferguson; Lance
Trowbridge; Wendell Halterman; and Earl Schroeder with new sign.
In that kind of environ- wrong question for us to
ment, politics, race, creed, answer,” he said. “Instead it
economic status all fall into should be our commitment to
the background and become make it worth it.”
nearly meaningless. All that
That requires creating a
matters is the bond of trust society that is worthy of the
between those who serve and sacrifice of the dead, where
seek to complete the mission. higher values are ascendant
Baldessari noted that the over petty concerns.
question is sometimes asked
The observances were fol-
regarding the death of a ser- lowed by a community barbe-
vicemember: Was it worth it? cue, where all were invited to
“Was it worth it is the attend.
SALEM, Oregon (AP) —
Sparks flew Monday, May
23, during a hearing attended
by ranchers and environmen-
talists in the state Capitol on
a proposal to turn 2.5 mil-
lion acres of canyonlands and
desert in southeastern Oregon
into a federally protected
monument.
Cattlemen said their liveli-
hoods could be threatened.
Malheur County Sheriff
Brian Wolfe told a panel of
state lawmakers that he was
worried armed outsiders
would exploit the situation,
with families in the remote
area having been involved
in cattle business for genera-
tions and being suspicious of
the federal government and
what restrictions it might
impose.
“If a monument is declared
in Malheur County, I am con-
cerned about people from
outside the county who will
come with their own agen-
das ... and I fear that they will
not be reasonable,” Wolfe
said.
Declaring the Owyhee
Canyonlands, an area known
for its spectacular, stark
scenery and used by fisher-
men, rafters, ranchers and
others, a national monument
would require no legislation.
President Barack Obama
could endorse the proposal,
but it would go through the
U.S. Department of Interior
first.
In a statement to The
Associated Press, the depart-
ment said: “No recommenda-
tions have been made from
Interior to the White House
about this proposal but we
know that this is an important
issue to many, and we con-
tinue to carefully consider all
input about how to best man-
age these lands for current
and future generations.”
The hearing room in the
Capitol was so packed with
its supporters and opponents
that some had to go into an
overflow room and watch the
proceedings on TV.
Many drove for seven
hours from the region to
attend the informational
h e a r in g o f th e H o u s e
Interim Committee On Rural
Communities, Land Use and
Water.
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for
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Tickets are $1 each, six for $5 or
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Info: 541-549-9941
“Friends of Furry Friends” - by Valerie Fercho-Tillery (46"w x 59"h)