Opinion
4A
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Other Views
A time to pause
as a nation
T
his Veterans Day across the nation, for the
first time since the holiday was conceived in
November 1919, there will be no large ceremonies
in big cities and small towns in observance to properly
express our gratitude and appreciate of our country’s
brave men and women who served in the United States
Armed Forces.
Instead,
2020 will long
be remem-
KELLY
bered as a year
FITZPATRICK
of tremen-
DEPT. OF VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
dous change
and challenge
for our nation. Yet, this year also marks 75 years since
the end of another historic global event that united our
country: the end of World War II and the subsequent
creation of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs
in 1945.
One of the most poignant aspects of our Oregon vet-
eran community is it is as diverse and united as the
nation we serve.
Whether you are one of the 300,000 Oregon vet-
erans who served in the trenches of Europe, the moun-
tains of Korea, the jungles of Asia, the deserts of the
Middle East or anywhere in between; on (or beneath)
the world’s oceans, or in the skies above; here at home
or overseas, in wartime or in peace; you are part of an
unbroken chain of patriots who have served this country
with honor through the history of our nation.
Every day, even after their military service, our vet-
erans ensure America remains strong. Every day, they
employ their hard-earned leadership skills and continue
to serve their communities.
Our veterans are moms and dads, teachers and doc-
tors, engineers and entrepreneurs, social workers and
community leaders. They are the heroes of a peaceful
nation who answered the call and returned to live in the
land they defended.
Heroes such as World War II paratrooper Bill Win-
gett — though he never embraced that distinction.
Private First Class Wingett was one of the original
members of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Divi-
sion’s 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, a unit made
famous by the book and HBO miniseries “Band of
Brothers.”
On June 6, 1944, he was one of 17,000 paratroopers
to perform a night jump behind enemy lines five hours
before the historic beachhead assault began. Along with
other paratroopers from the 101st, he fought his way
through to Normandy. He also served with honor in the
Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of Bastogne and other
pivotal conflicts until the war ended.
He was awarded the Bronze Star for his bravery
during the Battle of Brecourt Manor and earned three
Purple Hearts in separate engagements.
Sadly, Bill passed away just a few weeks ago at his
home in Lebanon. He was 98.
The veterans of the Greatest Generation, serving
nearly eight decades ago, are vanishing at a startling
rate, as are the veterans of the Korean War generation.
Just five years ago, there were more than 17,000 WWII
veterans living in Oregon. Today, there are fewer than
6,000. Their contribution and example must never fade
from our awareness. The nation and the world they
fought to protect will endure because of their service
and deep sacrifices.
We also remember our fellow Americans missing
in action, whose fate is still undetermined. We will not
rest until we have made the fullest possible accounting
for every life given in pursuit of our freedoms and pre-
serving democracy.
We also pause to remember the men and women who
did not live to be called “veterans.” Many of them rest in
the hearts of our national cemeteries.
We also honor the families of the lost, who carry a
burden of grief that time may lighten, but never lift, as
well as all veterans’ family members. Their loved ones
placed duty and country before their own lives.
America is known as the land of the free and the
home of the brave, but this was never a given. This rep-
utation was earned by the blood and sweat of patriots
who, generation after generation, dedicate themselves to
keeping our nation safe, strong and free.
We mark this Veterans Day with our first-ever vir-
tual Statewide Veterans Day celebration. The event
will be streamed on the Oregon Department of Vet-
erans’ Affairs’ Facebook page beginning at 11 a.m. on
Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Finally, on behalf of the Oregon Department of Vet-
erans Affairs and a grateful state and nation, on this day
and every day, we thank you for your service.
———
Kelly Fitzpatrick is the director of the Oregon Depart-
ment of Veterans’ Affairs and Gov. Kate Brown’s policy
advisor on veterans’ issues. She is a retired Army officer.
Her military awards and decorations include multiple
awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Southwest
Asia Service Medal and the Army Parachutist Badge.
Other Views
Veterans have unique skills to offer
JEREMY FIELD
SMALL BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION
s we approach Veterans Day,
it’s important to honor the con-
tributions of service members
and veterans to our safety and secu-
rity, and to acknowledge the skills and
perspective veteran-owned small busi-
nesses bring to the business world.
Nearly 1 in 10 small businesses is
owned by a veteran. Collectively, they
contribute more than $1 trillion to
our nation’s economy. As we navigate
through an unprecedented economic
environment, the experience vet-
erans bring from their military service
greatly benefits our ability to weather
the storm and persist.
This is due to the adaptability vet-
eran-owned small business owners
bring from their service. Similar to
many situations encountered in mil-
itary service, we are in a rapidly
moving and changing environment.
In military service, the situation can
quickly change, and service mem-
bers need to immediately access the
situation and change course to sur-
vive. The same is true for many
small business owners who find
themselves in a similar unfamiliar
environment.
While veterans’ ability to adapt
serves them well in business, it does
not mean they need to go about it
alone. The same way that veterans
relied on their unit to collectively
problem solve and accomplish their
mission, veteran-owned small busi-
ness owners have a network of orga-
nizations dedicated to the success of
their business.
As a veteran (Steve) who ran busi-
A
STEVE WATTS-
OELRICH
VETERANS BUSINESS
OUTREACH CENTER
nesses without SBA help, I under-
stand the great need for the SBA and
its resource partners. I was not as suc-
cessful in my businesses as I could
have been. So I can’t begin to tell you
how excited I was four years ago when
I became employed by the Region X
Veterans Business Outreach Center
and learned about the training and
coaching available to veterans, their
spouses and other eligible persons.
Moreover, I was very pleased to
learn the Department of Defense
upped the transition program since
I separated. When I left the service,
transition training for exiting service
members was almost a full day. Now,
it is longer to include various tracks,
including the two-day introduction
to entrepreneurship course we offer
— called Boots to Business — that
both service members and spouses
can take. In fact, in Fiscal Year 2020
alone, there were more than 21,000
participants in the Boots to Business
program, an all-time record.
The U.S. Small Business Admin-
istration and Veterans Business Out-
reach Center team up to support vet-
erans in Oregon at every stage of
their business lifecycle. Whether it’s
one-on-one business advising, webi-
nars on various business topics, access
to financing — such as the approx-
imately $835 million in SBA loans
to veterans nationwide during Fiscal
Year 2020 — or the two-day Boots to
Business program, our organizations
work together to empower veterans,
active duty service members and mil-
itary spouses to live the American
Editor’s Note
Do you have a point you’d
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to the editor or a guest column.
Dream of business ownership.
Veterans have the drive, passion
and dedication needed to run busi-
nesses successfully, so long as they
build a good team of business coaches
and mentors who “have their six.”
Instead of trying to reverse course
and go back to the way things used
to be, small business owners need to
be forward thinking. Veteran-owned
small businesses are a shining
example of how to stay focused on
the mission ahead and nimbly pivot to
achieve success of that goal.
Veterans know how to adapt to
changing times and circumstances,
and stand a strong chance of success
and survival in these times based on
the skills and characteristics learned
and possess from serving in the mili-
tary. These are lessons and attributes
we can all learn from veteran-owned
small businesses in these changing
times.
As we look forward, the SBA
and VBOC are proud to serve our
state’s veteran-owned small busi-
nesses toward a successful “mission
accomplished.”
———
Jeremy Field is the regional admin-
istrator for the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) Pacific North-
west Region and Steve Watts-Oelrich
is an Air Force veteran and director
of the Veterans Business Outreach
Center (VBOC).