www.hoodrivernews.com
Hood River News, Wednesday, May 20, 2015
A5
YOUNG VOICES
‘I want to see how far I can go in life’
HRVHS CLASS of 2015
member Stan Ochesk e y
wrote this essay to apply for
the U.S. Service Academies,
via the office of U.S. Rep.
Greg Walden, and was ac-
cepted last winter to the U.S.
Air Force Academy. Ocheskey
is the son of Brent and Emily
Ocheskey.
By STAN OCHESKEY
I awoke to the sound of
the front door unlocking in
the early hours of New
Year’s morning. As the
lights came on, I saw my dad
standing in his bulky police
uniform, his thoughts much
heavier than his gear. He
grimly told me he had just
helped cover a bad crash on
the freeway, and we both
knew that what he had seen
would be with him for life.
My dad has always been an
inspiring influence in my
life. As an Oregon State
A NDERSON
Continued from Page A1
and need.”
Anderson was hired
through the House Wounded
Warrior Program, which is
sponsored by the Depart-
ment of Defense to help dis-
abled veterans transition
from military life into a civil-
ian career.
She will work out of the
Cong ressman’s of fice in
Bend, where she resides,
through the end of 2016.
“I am like a kid in a candy
store about this opportuni-
ty,” said Anderson.
Female soldiers, sailors,
airmen and Marines make
up 14.6 percent of active duty
troops. Although the prohibi-
tion against women serving
in combat units was lifted in
1994, it has been U.S. policy
to exclude women from in-
fantry units.
While discussion contin-
ues in Congress and the Pen-
tagon about putting women
on the front lines, Thompson
said they are already there.
During the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, women
served as foot soldiers in
door-to-door searches and,
Trooper, he has helped our
community in many ways
by making a dif ference
every day. He has sparked a
sense of responsibility in
me to challenge myself and
serve my country.
It is my goal to attend an
institution where I am men-
tally and physically chal-
lenged to be my best, where I
can support our nation’s val-
ues. This is why I am re-
questing your nomination
for the Naval, Air Force, and
Military Academies. Doing
well in school, making care-
ful life choices, taking the
lead in my school and dis-
trict FFA organizations, de-
veloping into a poised public
speaker and a strong water
polo player have brought me
to this point. I am ready for
more. I want to see how far I
can go in life, discover all of
my capabilities while dedi-
cating myself to my country.
like Anderson, provided con-
voy security on missions and
went out in the field on pa-
trols.
Roadside bombs in the
wars of the Middle East have
been the number one killer
of U.S. troops.
About 160 female soldiers
have lost their lives during
the Post 9/11 wars and most
were killed by enemy action.
Thousands more have been
injured, some losing legs and
arms in explosions.
However, with few excep-
tions, news stories about
their tragic deaths have
rarely captured national at-
tention — even though their
losses are unprecedented in
modern history.
Twenty of the female
troops who died were moth-
ers of one or more children
a g e 18 or young er. One
woman was mortally injured
after the bomb she was at-
tempting to disarm detonat-
ed. She died in the arms of
her soldier husband, who
was stationed nearby.
“I was in a military police
company and only 20 of us
out of 170 were women,” said
Anderson. “We all became
brothers and sisters — I
loved my battle buddies.”
She joined the military
from her home state of Geor-
Photo by Jennifer Furrow
STAN OCHESKEY gets a hug from his mother, Emily, at Stan’s Air
Force acceptance ceremony at Hood River Valley High School in De-
cember, attended by Rep. Greg Walden.
If I am selected for a mili-
tary academy, you can ex-
pect me to give my best ef-
fort every day, to work in an
individual or team setting to
meet any challenge present-
ed to me. I will serve my
country with pride, determi-
nation, and a sense of re-
sponsibility. I am a confi-
dent leader and public
speaker, and I’m excited to
contribute those skills to
one of the U.S. Service Acad-
emies. I find leading natur-
al, but I also diligently take
direction from those in
charge. I would represent
gia out of a strong sense of
patriotism. She deployed in
2006 with the 127th Military
Police Company, which was
based in Germany.
Her duties as part of Oper-
ation Iraqi Freedom often
found her traveling roads
laced with IEDs (Improvised
Explosive Devices).
She also helped transport
enemy combatants who had
been captured and identified
as “high value targets.” For
her combat-related work in
that arena, Anderson earned
a PSYOP (Psychological Op-
erations) patch that has
since been mounted for dis-
play.
She remembers tensions
running high after an Iraqi
Police Station was ambushed
on Jan. 20, 2007. The men
who staged the attack were
wearing what appeared to be
legitimate U.S. military uni-
forms and badges but were
suspected of being terrorists
from Iran.
Once inside the compound
of coalition forces, they un-
leashed a brazen and deadly
assault on Americans,
killing one service member
and capturing four others in
a hail of grenades and gun-
fire.
The enemy combatants
headed for the Iranian bor-
der but did not make it be-
cause Anderson’s squad
tracked them down with help
from Iraqi policemen.
When U.S. soldiers
reached the convoy of stolen
American SUVs, the mili-
tants shot and killed the four
captives and abandoned the
vehicles, along with uni-
forms, equipment and rifles,
according to Anderson.
The soldiers who died that
day had been in the process
of planning to ensure the
safety of thousands of Iraqi
people expected to visit the
holy city for an upcoming
holiday.
The attack, which lasted 20
minutes, occurred on the
same day the U.S. lost at least
20 other troops, including a
dozen in a helicopter crash.
Questions about how the
attackers gained access to
the safe zone, and who they
were, remain unanswered
and have spawned a Face-
book page called “Sold out –
Blood Betrayal in Karbala,”
and a documentary of the
same name is in the process
of being made.
Although Anderson has
strong feelings about what
happened in Karbala, she de-
clined to comment on the in-
cident during a recent inter-
view with a Chronicle re-
any of the academies as a
student and a member of
their water polo team be-
cause I’m 6’6” with a long
reach, a powerful shot, en-
durance, and speed. I am a
team player who communi-
cates effectively with team
members and encourages
everyone involved.
A challenging experience
is what I expect from the
academies. I know I will
grow stronger in the skills I
already possess. I am eager
to discover and develop
other capabilities and
emerge from an academy a
highly skilled, capable and
confident leader. “Iron
sharpens iron, and one man
sharpens another.” I expect
to discover this truth within
one of the academies, sur-
rounded by many inspiring
men and women who are as
passionate as I am.
I hold myself to high stan-
dards in all areas of my life
— social, spiritual, and aca-
demic. Besides my academ-
ic, athletic and leadership
qualifications, I am certain I
would excel at any of the
academies because I easily
adapt to new situations and
take a calm, concentrated
approach to problem-solv-
ing. I believe that America
is a positive place that pro-
tects the rights of its citi-
zens to the fullest extent. I
am eager to actively work to
defend these American val-
ues at the academies and be-
yond in service to my coun-
try and its citizens. Service
requires sacrifice, but I am
ready to take on that respon-
sibility, just as my dad did
that difficult January night.
My father has great mental
and emotional strength. I
hope that one day I can
serve as he has and help
those who need my strength.
porter.
She returned to Germany
from Iraq in 2008 and re-
ceived her honorable dis-
charg e at the rank of
sergeant the next year. She
then headed to college and
earned a bachelor’s degree
in psychology from Oregon
State University before de-
ciding to make Oregon her
home.
“The reason I went for that
degree was to be able to help
vets — that’s what I’m all
about,” she said.
Her former first sergeant,
Ray Domenech, posted this
message about Walden’s hir-
ing of Anderson on the Con-
gressman’s Facebook page:
“Excellent choice, you will
be hard pressed to find a
smarter, more motivated and
caring individual than Sgt.
Anderson…”
Anderson can be reached
at Walden’s Central Oregon
office at 541-389-4408 or via
email at Margie.Anderson
@mail.house.gov.
WEEKLY SUDOKU
This week’s Sudoku presented by:
Y OUR B USINESS N AME
Answers on Page A8
T RAINS
Continued from Page A1
Hood River adopted a reso-
lution banning coal and oil
trains rolling through town
in December. The document
states, “because the rail
alignment runs through our
downtown area, the impact
of existing and proposed oil
trains is potentially cata-
strophic in terms of loss of
life and devastation of the
City of Hood River commu-
nity, environment and econo-
D ALBEY
Continued from Page A1
munity members alike and I
have no doubt she will con-
tinue her commendable ser-
vice to Hood River County’s
children as the Human Re-
sources Director for the
school district,” Superinten-
my.”
In January, The Dalles
passed a resolution urging
state officials to pursue
tougher federal regulations
of crude oil shipments.
The goal of the environ-
mental groups’ federal suit is
to send the new oil train
rules back to USDOT in
order to make revisions, said
Kristin Boyles, an Earthjus-
tice attorney on the case.
Boyles said the suit is pri-
marily focused on “fixing the
flaws in the r ule” that
USDOT released in early
May. “We would ask the
court to strike down (those)
particular aspects of the
rule,” said Boyles.
The rail industry also took
issue with the federal rules,
but in the opposite direction.
American Petroleum Insti-
tute filed a lawsuit on Mon-
day in the U.S. Court of Ap-
peals for the District of Co-
lumbia Circuit that asks for
more time — it challenges
the timeline for retrofitting
rail cars and requirements
for electronic brakes.
The new regulations are
expected to cost an estimated
$2.5 billion to implement
over the next two decades,
according to estimates in a
May 1 press release by
USDOT.
Lang explained that the
suit in favor of tighter rail
regulations will likely be
“consolidated” with other
legal challenges around the
nation, and be decided in a
federal appeals court. Lang
said the Friends have worked
with Earthjustice in the past.
The case is Sierra Club, et
al v. Secretary of Trans-
portation, U.S. Court of Ap-
peals for the 9th Circuit, No.
15-71461.
dant Dan Goldman said.
Dalbey was raised in
South Dakota, graduated
with a Bachelor of Arts in
Psycholog y and Spanish
from Bucknell University in
Pennsylvania, and earned
her Masters of Education in
Administration from Con-
cordia University.
Her teaching career began
in 1996 in the Denver Public
Schools as a teacher of Eng-
lish for non-native English
speakers. She came to the
Hood River County School
District in 2000 to teach in
the migrant preschool and
Kindergarten at Pine Grove
Elementary School. Dalbey
became the vice-principal at
Wy’east Middle School in
2004 and moved into the
Wy’east principalship in
2006.
Dalbey is multilingual in
English, Spanish and Russ-
ian, plays the viola and vio-
lin, and is married to Tom
Dalbey, who teaches fourth
grade at May Street Elemen-
tary School. Catherine and
Tom have two children, both
attending May Street.
Soroptomist names 2015 ‘Women of Distinction’
Soroptimist International
of Hood River’s welcomes
Allyson Pate, Ann Frodel
and Tami Swanson as the
2015 winners of its annual
Women of Distinction
Award.
Each year since 1975,
Soroptimist of Hood River
has worked with community
leaders and organizations to
honor women whose work in
a professional or volunteer
capacity has made a signifi-
cant difference in the quality
of life in our community.
The three women will be
introduced by their nomina-
tors at an awards luncheon
in their honor on Wednesday,
May 27, from 11:30 to 1 p.m. in
the Best Western Hood River
Inn Gorge Room.
Tickets for the luncheon
are $24 each and available at
Waucoma Bookstore.
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Art Carroll
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