Wednesday, May 27, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Share your favorite Rodeo moments…
Honoring the
‘Greatest Generation’
By Pat Bowe
Commander VFW Post 8138
PHOTO COURTESY THREE SISTERS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Nugget, in partnership with the City of Sisters and the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, is
running a heritage edition in honor of Sisters Rodeo on June 3. Share your favorite memory of Sisters
Rodeo at editor@nuggetnews.com. Deadline Sunday, May 31.
Letters to the Editor…
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer¾s name, address and
phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions
not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a
response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items
are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday.
To the Editor:
I have never met Kay Grady that I am aware
of, but I think I would like to meet her when
social distancing is over, and shake her hand.
I viewed the ponderosa tree Kay referenced
in her letter (Many 20), and actually, I think
it was closer to 200 years old. We also have
many trees being cut in Crossroads by <mod-
ern lumberjacks,= trees that provide shade to
prevent soil evaporation, habitat, and drink our
septic water, which keeps it out of our crystal
clear well water.
The tree you referenced was probably only
about two feet tall witnessing the War of 1848,
and maybe six to eight feet tall during the
days of our Camp Polk and Civil War between
the states. It probably was 30 feet or taller by
the Spanish/American War, 1898. It survived
World War I and the Spanish Flu, the Great
Depression, World War II and the Nazi gas
chambers and Pearl Harbor, the Korean War
and polio, the Kennedy and Martin Luther
King assassinations, The Vietnam War, Wars
of the Middle East, 9/11, and Afghanistan
battles.
It even survived the closing of septic tanks
in Sisters (with introduction of a new sewage
system), which watered and fertilized many of
the towns trees.
What it did not survive was a Paul Bunyan
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately, Kay, we are few and far
between. I don9t think we are <tree huggers,=
just people concerned about a tree, which
witnessed so much, and provided a habitat
housing for so many during its9 very long life,
which unfortunately, was cut short!
Bill Anttila
See LETTERS on page 8
Sisters Weather Forecast
Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Monday
Sunday
Mostly Sunny
Mostly Sunny
Partly Cloudy
Scattered T-storms Partly Cloudy
81/53
84/55
87/60
71/46
67/47
Showers
65/44
2020 is the first year
since the formation of VFW
Post 8138 in August of 1946
that a public honoring of
Memorial Day in Sisters had
to be canceled.
However, a small group
of local veterans from Post
8138, American Legion Post
86, and Band of Brothers in
cooperation with the City
of Sisters held a short cer-
emony on Memorial Day
at the Village Green. Our
purpose was two fold: first
to honor all those who have
made the ultimate sacrifice
to preserve our freedoms in
all wars.
The second was to pay a
special tribute to a passing
legacy know as the <Greatest
Generation.= Greatest
Generation is a term used to
describe those who grew up
during the Great Depression
and fought in World War II,
or whose labor helped win
it. America and the world
were saved from the evil of
totalitarianism rule and fas-
cism. In total over 405,000
Americans gave their lives
in the WWII conflict.
Besides the thousands
of World War II veter-
ans that lie in cemeteries
across America, cemeter-
ies throughout Europe and
the Pacific also hold the
remains of Americans lost
during World War II.
The Normandy American
Cemetery and Memorial
was the first World War
II cemetery and memorial
located in Colleville-sur-
Mer, Normandy, France,
that honors American
troops. A total of 9,238 are
buried there. This cem-
etery contains the graves
of 45 pairs of brothers (30
of which buried side by
side), a father and his son,
an uncle and his nephew,
two pairs of cousins, three
generals, four chaplains,
four civilians, four women,
147 African Americans
and 20 Native Americans.
One of the Medal of Honor
recipients buried there is
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.,
son of President Theodore
Roosevelt.
In St. Avold, France
lie the remains of 10,489
Americans who gave
their lives. It is the larg-
est American World War
II cemetery in Europe.
151 unknowns are bur-
ied here whose gravestone
merely states <Here Rests in
Honored Glory a Comrade
in Arms Unknown but to
God.=
At the Manila American
Cemetery in the Philippines
lie 17,201 service members
who perished in WWII.
One World War II survi-
vor we had chosen to speak
at our ceremony this year is
Leon E. Devereaux, a U.S.
Navy fighter pilot and resi-
dent of Bend. Please take
the opportunity to read his
biography in this issue of
The Nugget (see page 1).
Later this year we will
be holding a special cer-
emony at the Village Green
Sisters Veterans Memorial
to remember Sisters veter-
ans whom have passed away
this past year.
When you have the
opportunity after social
distancing restrictions are
eased be sure to thank a
veteran.
The Nugget Newspaper, LLC
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CAROL M. HIGHSMITH9S AMERICA, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Fountains in the Rainbow
Pool with the Atlantic Pavilion in the background.
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.