8A | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS
Siuslaw News
Community Voices
Military Heritage Chronicles — Women in the Military
Cal Applebee
Special to Siuslaw News
C
ontinuing our effort to honor
all disciplines of service and
all eras of military heritage, this
Chronicles edition picks up on the
topic of women in the military last
touched on in 2012.
While women in the military
are sometimes portrayed by Hol-
lywood with occasional roles out
of World War II, we’ve seen more
recent service portrayed such as
in the 1996 “Courage Under Fire,”
with actress Meg Ryan portraying
a chopper pilot killed in action
during the Gulf War.
In reality, since 1775, the role
of women in the military, partic-
ularly combat, has been contro-
versial. Although most in early
years only served in support roles
such as nursing, laundering and
cooking, several hundred women
were discovered to have disguised
themselves as men and fought in
the Civil War.
While most nations partic-
ipating in WWII used women
in uniform, the majority again
performed tasks such as nursing
and clerical duties only. However,
over 1,000 civilian women pilots
served during WWII in the WASP
(Women Airforce Service Pilots)
ferrying airplanes.
During the Vietnam War,
roughly 11,000 women were de-
ployed. While 90 percent served
as nurses, eight were in fact killed
in action.
The Gulf War saw 40,000 wom-
en deployed to Desert Shield and
Desert Storm.
Today, roughly 15 percent of
our military personnel in the
United States is made up of wom-
en.
Bringing it closer to home, in
2015, Oregon became one of only
a handful of states to establish a
permanent, full-time women vet-
erans coordinator in the Oregon
Department of Veterans Affairs
(ODVA), to provide outreach and
enhance level of care to the more
than 28,000 women Veterans in
Oregon, which represents one-
tenth of Oregon’s veteran popula-
tion.
Elizabeth Estabrooks, herself a
veteran of the US Army from 1977
to 1980, joined the ODVA in the
capacity of women veterans coor-
dinator in 2016.
“I feel fortunate every single day
to be able to work with women
veterans and community partners,
and facilitate shaping policies and
procedures that improve services
for women veterans,” stated Es-
tabrooks, who was stationed in
Kitzingen, Germany, during her
army stint.
You can learn more about her
role and mission when she joins
the Oregon Coast Military Muse-
um on Saturday, Aug. 25, as one of
the two women veteran speakers
at the Military Heritage Day.
She’ll also be sharing one of her
program products, “I Am Not In-
visible,” which features 20 Oregon
women Veterans from around the
state, as well as covering WWII to
current service.
WWII Veteran H. Jean Wo-
jnowski is one of those featured.
She joined the US Navy as a nurse
immediately following the attack
on Pearl Harbor. Another featured
veteran, Rosy Marcelin-Macias,
served in the U.S. Marine Corps
during the end of the Gulf War.
She also currently serves on the
ODVA Advisory Committee.
Bringing it even closer to home,
although not featured in the
ODVA program, Capt. Sharon
Armstrong, USCGR (Retired),
will be our additional speaker on
Aug. 25. She began her career in
1972 under the Coast Guard Re-
serve’s “Direct Petty Officer Pro-
gram,” the only program offered
by the military branches which
sought women with no prior mili-
tary experience.
During her 31-year career,
which included assignments in
the Coast Guard’s District 5, Dis-
trict 12 and our own District 13,
Armstrong became the first wom-
an in District 12 to receive a direct
commission from the Inactive
Duty ranks since WWII.
While you may not see any of
these Oregonian’s in an upcoming
release from Hollywood, you can
enjoy more about the careers and
experiences of both women, as
well as view the ODVA 20-poster
display about other women veter-
ans of Oregon, when you join us
at the Florence Municipal Airport
on Aug. 25 at 2 p.m.
You can learn more about
military heritage by visiting
the museum’s website at www.
oregoncoastmilitar ymuseum.
com.
Notes from the Siltcoos — Castles made of sand
By Barry Sommer
Special to Siuslaw News
A
small plastic bucket, usual-
ly brightly colored coupled
with a small shovel, square at the
end and perfect to fill said buck-
et to the brim sits close by. Rows
of fortress-like round palisades
empty from the bucket and take
their place as the defensive wall
against an unseen invader. Maybe
a small moat filled with salt water
and dragons encircles this child’s
playroom, making for the perfect
imaginary world of make-believe.
The sound starts just after
sunrise, the crackling cacopho-
ny of two- and four-wheel ma-
chines scrambling out from their
camp spaces into the wide-open
dune hills and valleys. Carving
grooves across the wind sculpt-
ed sand, they reverberate across
the expanse and disappear over
the crest, scattered wind-blown
rooster tails the only remnant of
the machines’ visit aside from the
declining roar.
From “Lawrence of Arabia” to
Jesse Honeyman, piles of sand
have, for better or worse, drawn
us in to a world that continuously
fascinates and amuses. I for one
have always marveled at the claim
that there are more stars in the
sky than grains of sand on all the
beaches of the world. Now you’re
probably asking yourself how is
that possible, and what was Carl
Sagan thinking when he posited
this outlandish theory?
Well, here’s the big math with
lots of zeros.
Fraser Cain of “Universe To-
day” postulates astronomical av-
erages and comes to this number;
there are 10 sextillion stars in the
universe. That’s a whole bunch
of stars all right. Now we need to
know how many grains of sand
there are. We’ll start with 8000
grains per cubic centimeter, mul-
tiply up until we find that there
are about 700 trillion cubic me-
ters of sand globally, thus render-
ing the total number of grains at
5 sextillion.
Well what do you know, Carl
Sagan was right. Now imagine
him, in that authoritative and
soothing voice saying the uni-
verse is filled with “sextillions
and sextillions of stars” instead
of the mundane “billions and bil-
lions” we’ve heard him utter so
many times. More of us would
have paid attention; not due to
the larger number, but because
we would have heard only the
word “sex.”
Our contribution to the global
sand population spans 40 miles
from the Coos River to the Siu-
slaw River Bridge and is named
the Oregon Dunes National
Recreation Area. Famed in story
but not song, the dunes inspired
Frank Herbert to write the sci-
ence fiction novel “Dune,” which
is, I think, probably more a com-
pliment to our naturally formed
sand hills than to his fame as a
writer.
Until 1963, this stretch of beach
was just that, another stretch of
beach. In that year, Congressman
Robert B. Duncan introduced a
bill which established the Oregon
Dunes National Recreation Area.
A large bit of reasoning behind
this national park was to protect
not just the dunes themselves but
to create a city that would be a
buffer to state and federal con-
trol, so in the same year Dunes
City was born. A slap in the face
to the city of Westlake, founded
in 1914, but that, dear friends, is
a tale for another day.
An interesting sidebar: Sen.
Wayne Morse opposed some
provisions of the bill that would
have increased environmental
protections by restricting specif-
ic types of private property use.
Morse need not worry; today the
dunes and its environs are pro-
tected forever and private prop-
erty within those dunes abounds.
Aside from being able to wan-
der aimlessly through miles of
piled dunes and flat expanses all
through the official recreation
area, to see sand as it was nev-
er meant to be one should visit
Cannon Beach at the end of June
and marvel at the annual sand
sculpture contest. Most of us who
spent time growing up playing
at the local beach know how to
make plastic cup forts, but to be
able to recreate Windsor Castle,
complete with miniature effigies
of the queen and her court, is
something everyone should see at
least once. Well, that and the gi-
ant crab emerging from an over-
sized fluted glass, ironically titled
“Crab Cocktail.” However, there
was no representation of the oth-
er required implement; the sand
sculpted crab fork.
While Cannon Beach allows
for the sand artist, Dunes City
provides for the gearhead. Miles
of whoops and valleys let any-
one with wheels and an engine
drive until they run out of gas.
The sounds echo all day and well
into the night, with the “vroom
vroom” acting as a cash register
bell for local businesses.
We love our visitors and their
excitement at being here, but we
love even more the quiet of the
off season and being able to drive
101 without fearing the summer
traveler pulling out from Honey-
man State Park in front of traffic
and maintaining a steady 24 mph
while they ogle and swoon over
our trees and lakes.
If from a southwest state I un-
derstand the wonder of seeing
anything taller than a cactus, but
if you’re from a state with actual
trees, please, be safe and save the
“oohs and aahs” for the Sea Lion
Caves.
Hello and welcome to tourists
from all over the globe. Enjoy
the dunes, the beaches and the
affability of us locals. We look
forward to seeing you again next
year with your sand machines
and plastic buckets. And don’t
worry about that scratching in
places you never itched before;
it’s just a bit of the Oregon Dunes
going home with you.
Fundraiser for Boy’s and Girl’s Club.
FREE LUNCH
50’s Party Car Show, Elvis & BBQ
Wednesday, August 15th
11:30 - 1:00 pm
1451 Spruce Street, Florence
Raffl e drawings for; Bi-plane ride, two
$100.00 Safeway cards, Family fun Basket,
one year subscription to Siuslaw News,
and more.
All the cars are locally owned.
Please RSVP to 541.997.8202
or nhill@shorewoodsl.com
Public Art in Florence — August Update
H
ave you been in Old Town late- locations for public art. The com- getting ready for the future with the -art-program.
ly? The Bay Street area of His- mittee is making plans for funding, beautification of Florence.
For more information, vis-
toric Old Town is seeing some nice locations and designs.
The Public Art Committee is it ci.florence.or.us/bc-pac/public
improvements. These include:
• Newly painted trash cans on
Bay Street
• Wonderful new sculptures by
artist Jesse Swickard of Sherwood,
120 Maple Street
Phone: 541-997-4435
Ore., such as “Sitting Wave,” and
Hours Open: Wed-Fri 11am-5pm,
“West Coast Overlook,” both locat-
Sat 10am-5pm, Sun. 11am-5pm
ed in the Siuslaw River Bridge In-
terpretive Center
• “Transformation,” another
piece in the interpretive center,
made by artist Paul Reimer from
British Columbia
• Local artist Pancho Clark’s
“Copper Leaf Tree” at Old Town
Spirit of Summer Artwork
Big Wave Poetry 1st Tuesday
Park
Pickup
Open Mic
These pieces are sponsored by
Tuesday, August 28th, 9:30-11 am, at the
Tuesday,September 4th at 6:30 pm.
Art Exposed, a project of the City
FEC. If you have not been notified that
Admission is free and refreshments will be
of Florence’s Public Art Committee,
your artwork sold, please pick up your
available.
and part of a long-range program to
artwork at the FEC on the 28th. Thank
bring art into focus in the Florence
you for making the show a success!
area. These four sculptures are for
Poetry Writing Class with Jeff
sale and, if not sold, will be rotated
Lovejoy
FRAA is on Display at the
every two years to bring “fresh” art-
Wednesday, September 12th, 6-8 pm.
at
the
Kingwood
entrance
to
the
airport,
work to this area.
Chamber in September
All levels welcome! Recapping a bit to get
In addition, the Public Art Com-
Artwork drop off is Tuesday, September
located at Kingwood & 27th St.
back into the swing of it. Short readings,
mittee invites the community to be
5th, 9:30-10:30 am, at the Chamber of
exercises, why we write poetry! Contact
Commerce. We would love your 2D
on the lookout for other projects:
Jeff for questions and registration:
2018
COST
artwork and some 3D but no jewelry.
• A revitalization and design
jlovejoy54@gmail.com
Collection
of the steps by the Siuslaw River
Pickup load
• Tree Clippings
Bridge. The committee has selected
Dates:
Next Art Change-Out Day
$10
Painting with John Leasure
• Leaves
artist Jessilyn Brinkerhoff from Eu-
Monday, September 10th, 9-11 am
Saturdays 9 am - 12 pm
• Grass Clippings
AUGUST 18
gene, Ore., to complete this project.
Small Utility Trailer
Please pick up your artwork and bring
No painting experience required.
• Weeds
(Single Axle)
The project is scheduled to begin in
something new to help keep the art at
Contact: jnleasure@hotmail.com or
•
Prunings
$10
SEPTEMBER 15
the next few months.
FRAA fresh to our visitors
541-991-2754 for details and fees.
• Brush
• An artistic mural on the side of
Medium Utility
OCTOBER 20
the Central Lincoln PUD building
Open Studio @ FRAA, Thursdays
Trailer
Whimsical Hand Building
that faces Highway 126 near the in-
(10-12 ft)
No registration required. Drop-in, bring
Ceramics w/ Alissa Clark
tersection of Highway 101. This will
$15
your materials, and create. All artistic
Wednesdays,
3-5
pm
&
Thursdays,
6-8
pm
be a large mural at 125 feet, and the
mediums welcome.
• Food &
Open Lab Ceramics on Saturdays
Large Utility Trailer
“Call to Artists” is set to open soon.
Every Thursday, 1-4 pm
Household
waste
Drop in, work at own pace. Sat 12-5 pm
(12-18ft)
• ReVision Florence artwork.
While
the designated day is Thursday,
• Animal Waste
Call Alissa with questions, 503-957-5222.
$21
As the City of Florence, Florence
please
feel free to stop in and use our
• Plastics
All ceramics classes held at Alissa’s
space and create any day/time that we are
Urban Renewal Agency and Ore-
• Construction
Greater than
Studio. 180 Laurel Street.
open and do not have a class scheduled.
gon Department of Transportation
20 cubic yards
Debris
work to bring a streetscape to High-
$21 +$5/yard over
• Hazardous Waste
way 101 from the Siuslaw River
For more information about classes, visit fraaoregon.org. To register for
For questions, please contact the
Bridge to Highway 126, Public Art
City of Florence Public Works Department at 541-997-4106
these classes, please call or visit FRAA at our Art Center on Maple Street.
Committee is looking to include 16
FRAA ART CENTER
Classes, Workshops & Events
Yard Debris Disposal
Next Date is August 18
9am to 2pm
Bring:
DO NOT
Bring your:
