Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2019)
SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2019 | 5A Community Voices Natural Perspective — Watching for sea turtles W By Emily J. Uhrig, Ph.D Special to Siuslaw News inter is underway and mornings greet us with frosty grass and the chore of scraping ice from wind- shields. The season’s cold clutches extend to the ocean too, and Oregon’s coastal waters, never exactly balmy anyway, are pretty frigid right now. Marine species that are long-term residents here tend to be well-adapted to winter conditions and go about their business as usual. Howev- er, cold temperatures can be hazardous for less frequent visitors like sea turtles. Most folks associate sea turtles with tropical climates, but several species can pass by Oregon’s coast. They spend most of their lives at sea and generally only come ashore to nest, an activity that doesn’t happen in the Pacific Northwest, so we rarely see them. Any sea turtles who do set flipper on the sand around here make for exciting finds for beach- combers, but coming ashore signals trouble for the turtles. Lying on the beach is no place for animals that should be feeding in open water so stranded turtles are almost certainly sick or injured. Winter is a likely time for sea turtle sightings in our area as they can become hypother- mic in cold water. As their temperature drops, turtles become sluggish and prone to washing up on beaches. Green sea turtles and olive ridley sea turtles, endangered species particularly sensitive to low temperatures, are the most commonly stranded in Oregon. When found, they’re often in an almost comatose state with a suite of health problems that makes rehabil- itation difficult. As reptiles, turtles are commonly referred to as ‘cold-blooded’, a term sound- ing at odds with susceptibili- ty to hypothermia. However, this term is something of a misnomer as cold-blood- ed animals don’t necessarily have low body temperatures. Rather, their temperature is determined by the envi- ronment and, in warm loca- tions, their bodies can be just as warm as us mammals. In fact, cold-blooded animals often need to raise their tem- perature in order to function properly. That’s why reptiles bask in the sun. In cold conditions, a reptile’s internal bodily pro- cesses slow and, consequent- ly, so do its movements. For ocean-going turtles, such slowing leaves them at the mercy of water currents, which puts them in danger of being swept ashore. So keep an eye out for sea turtles when you’re on the beach this winter. If you see one, know it’s having a bad day and you can get it some help by calling the OSP ho- tline at 1-800-452-7888. Military Heritage Chronicles — ‘Thirty Seconds Over... Oregon’ Cal Applebee Special to Siuslaw News O kay, I know it should re- ally say ‘Over Tokyo’, but did you know that the Bom- bardment Group that flew that impactful raid in 1942 also flew over Oregon as well? In 1941, even before the Jap- anese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Army Air Corps’ 17th Bombard-ment Group was one of four mili- tary units stationed at Pendle- ton Field in Eastern Oregon in April, with their B-25 Mitchell bombers arriving in November. In December of that year they began flying antisubma- rine patrols in the new bomb- er. In February of 1942 their task changed to providing heavy bombardment training, and they went on maneuvers with army ground forces in the south, but returned to Pend- leton immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Wanting to strike back on Japan following that attack, an idea was floated up the chain of command by a submariner who was an Admirals staffer in Washington DC. Multiple light bombers were consid- ered for the task, but ulti- mately, the B-25 was chosen as the best plane for the task. While some claim that epic event was the first time a B-25 was flown from a carrier deck, including a 1943 news- reel, it was in fact not the first. During planning for the flight in early 1942, two B-25s were loaded onto the USS Hor- net on the east coast to test the theory. Obviously it worked, and the plan proceeded. With the successful test, the plan was approved. The 17th Bombardment Group had been one of the first groups to receive the B-25, and therefore was the most experienced flying the new plane as well. In early 1942, they departed Pendleton Field and flew off into the his- tory books with that epic flight. Originating in 1934 by Unit- ed Air Lines flying the old Ford Tri-Motor between Pendleton and Portland, Pendleton Field was designated an Army Air Corps station for training in 1940. At one time, its ranks of military personnel numbered around 2,500 enlisted and of- ficers, in addition to around a hundred civilian workers. Ninety-year-old Doris Gro- ver was one of those, an Ad- jutant General aide, and she still resides in Pendleton today. During its years as a military facility, over a hundred planes that flew from Pendleton Field crashed, including B-17 Flying Fortress. As the war wound down in the mid-1940s, the Field’s roles changed to train- ing, maintenance and even fire- fighting with the famed 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion also known as the ‘Triple Nickle’. In November of 1945 it was one of eleven military air- fields in Oregon declared sur- plus, and was signed over to the City of Pendleton in 1948. Today, Eastern Oregon Regional Airport is a mod- ern facility, providing multi- ple daily flights to Portland, although in a much more modern aircraft. It is also the home of Pendleton Air Muse- um, dedicated to the memo- ry of its Doolittle connection. In 2017 to commemo- rate the 75th anniversary of that mission, they held a gala event which included the ap- pearance of a B-25 Mitchell bomber out of the Erickson Air Collection in Madras, itself a WWII B-17 training base. Once again, the drone of those Pratt & Whitney radi- al engines floated over the airfield, punctuating Ore- gon’s rich military heritage. You can learn more about the Pendleton Air Museum by visit- ing their website at www.pend- letonairmuseum.org; and about the Doolittle Raid by visiting www :doolittleraiders.com. The Oregon Coast Military Museum is located on King- wood Street adjacent to the Florence Municipal Airport and is open from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sun- day. You can learn more about military heritage by visiting the museum’s website at www.ore- goncoastmilitarymuseum.com. Notes from the Siltcoos — ‘Homeward Bound’ Part Two By Barry Sommer Special to Siuslaw News Scottsdale is a suburb of Phoenix only in the sense that all roads lead to all places in and around Phoenix. What makes all those cookie cutter houses and condos a real home is the human energy within each one. My friend’s place was filled with the stuff that made him who he is and things I re- membered from our decades as friends. I mulled over the books overfilling the shelves in the living room, reliving past con- versations we had based in some of the more, shall we say esoteric themes like alien take- overs and robot rebellions. He was a bit shorter and frailer since the last time I saw him. He said I looked the same and I replied that he too had not changed yet the years and his accident plus the fall at home had taken a toll that was obvious to me. He was having trouble walking for any length of time, his hearing was going and his failing kidneys posed a challenge for him as to dialysis and the choices associated with that reality. He preferred to stay close to home and indulge his passion for old film noir, documenta- ries and historical dramas. We spent many hours exchanging stories on what we viewed, comparing perceptions and giving our own take on the sto- ry and its characters. Many times we digressed into deep past memories, re- membering our times when we lived together with our ladies, our many escapades in and around Hollywood and old haunts we frequented, wonder- ing if any were still there. I did manage to get him out of the house on two occa- sions. Both times I appealed to his love of old things and music which meant we got to go to the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) and a small but packed vintage motorcy- cle museum at a local Harley Davidson dealer. The musical instrument museum was not a few small rooms filled with old guitars and pianos. This is a world class muse- um that houses, curates and re- stores instruments of all kinds from across the globe. Everything from African beaded outfits that added per- cussive sounds when danced in to the piano John Lennon wrote “Imagine” on. A long- time guitar player until he lost all hearing in one ear, I could see on his face as he looked at guitars from SR Vaughn, Bo Diddly, Eric Clapton and oth- ers his longing to play again. That was not to be but see- ing him smile while deep in 6-string thought made me feel good about getting him to this museum. The first bike just inside the door of the motorcycle mu- seum caught my friends eye immediately. To him, this ma- chine was one of the hallmarks of the motorcycling world: an early 1930’s Brough Supe- rior. To my friend who loves old machines of all kinds, this Brough epitomized for him the best of old technology. He lingered longer on this one than any other, except for the Russian motorcycle that may have been ridden by Khrush- chev. With 150 machines on two floors we poured over each one, discussing odd and unusual details and whether one could actually ride some of the older ones without a third hand. He took me to a couple of his favorite restaurants which turned out to be sports bars. Like me he has a jaundiced eye for organized sports, neither watching or when young, par- ticipating so I found his choice a bit odd. He explained that in his opinion, sports bars had the best food at reasonable prices. Okay, but what about the noise of the crowds both assembled and on screen and the many large TV screens where the players heads were bigger than my entire body? Didn’t they make it tough to enjoy a meal and converse? Well yes, he replied but you get used to it after a while. Five days went by too quick- ly and soon it was time for the drive to Scottsdale airport to catch the shuttle to Maricopa and the train north to home. My train didn’t leave until 10 p.m., so we had the day to re- call more memories and solid- ify our friendship. He gave me a couple of mementos; an art print and a 1930’s microphone. With both of us being in radio and television during our lives it was a very appropriate gift and meant much to me. The drive to the airport was muted. We spoke little, most- ly mundane as I think both of us didn’t want to admit that this might be the last time we saw each other. Pulling up to the station where the shuttle boarded we had but a few brief minutes to say goodbye. We shook hands, promising to always stay in touch and be- ing optimistic about our next meeting. He drove off, I boarded the shuttle and made the train in Maricopa, arriving back home two days later. This may have been the last visit and I am hurting. This was hard and not pleasant yet I had to see him. I miss him already. From Amy Marie Walz: “We all lose friends…we lose them in death, to distance, and over time. But even though they may be lost, hope is not. The key is to keep them in your heart, and when the time is right, you can pick up the friendship right where you left off. Even the lost find their way home, when you leave the light on.” The light will always be on my friend. Us TOO Florence — Behind the Headlines By Bob Horney Special to Siuslaw News I’m sure that many readers of the Siuslaw News also sub- scribe to the Register-Guard newspaper in Eugene. And, if you are now reading what I wrote this month, you may have an interest in prostate cancer. If that is the case, you probably remember a front- page story in the Dec. 20, 2018 Register-Guard fea- turing two Oregon Urology Institute urologists, Dr. Bry- an Mehlhaff and Dr. David DiMarco. I thought it was a good ar- ticle, full of valuable prostate information for us men as we try to age gracefully. However, when the re- porter Suzanne Adams-Ock- rassa quoted the doctors as saying they’ve seen a “three- fold increase in the number of men walking in the door with prostate cancer” at their clinic, she was one word short of quoting exactly what was said. The actual quote, which I understand came from Dr. Mehlhaff, was that they’ve seen a “three-fold increase in the number of men walking in the door with metastatic prostate cancer” at their clin- ic. What a difference that one word makes! I do know that Dr. Mehlhaff emailed Ad- ams-Ockrassa as soon as he saw the error and was told it would be corrected online. I had never made much use of the online version of the Register-Guard, so I started nosing around and came across the Regis- ter-Guard’s Facebook page. Scrolling down through all the articles, I finally came to the one with Drs. Mehlhaff and DiMarco. Interestingly, it was listed as being posted Dec. 20, 2018, at 7:09 a.m. and being “updated” Dec. 20, 2018 at 10:42 a.m. When I saw that, I figured it would be only a matter of time before there would be a “correction” in the print ver- sion of the newspaper. It didn’t come and didn’t come, so I picked up the phone and spoke with Ad- ams-Ockrassa on Jan. 2, 3 and 4, expressing my con- cern that Dr. Mehlhaff ’s quoted comment was not accurate and certainly didn’t express what he was saying. I thought after speaking with her on Jan. 4 that she verified that it hadn’t been corrected in the print ver- sion and would address that. Members of the public who read the online version would have seen the addition of “metastatic,” but those of us who depend on the print version and corrections being made when neces- sary, were left with simply a “three-fold increase in pros- tate cancer.” Dr. Mehlhaff ’s comment was comparing the level of prostate cancer disease walking in the door to their clinic since the U. S. Pre- ventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) 2012 guideline which stated, as Dr. Mehlhaff said, “healthy men not be screened annually for pros- tate cancer using a Prostate Specific Antigen, or PSA, test.” His quote meant that Or- egon Urology Institute was seeing a three-fold increase in men with metastatic pros- tate cancer at their initial visit. Why was this happening? Some men always refused testing and others chose to follow the new USPSTF guidelines (and skip the PSA test). In addition, because the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) had adopted the USPSTF guidelines, many men who requested the PSA test were refused by their doctors. I’ve had men tell me they had to seek out other doctors to find one who would au- thorize the test. So, essentially, the USPSTF ran a nation-wide trial comparing pre-2012 recommended PSA testing with their 2012 no PSA test- ing guideline and lost — big time. However, the real losers in this trial are the wives who lost husbands, parents who lost adult sons, children who lost fathers, grandfathers, uncles — the lives lost is the real tragedy. In 2011, when the USPSTF put out its “tentative” guide- line for public comment, they were warned that this outcome was likely, but they paid absolutely no attention to those comments which came from our nation’s ex- perts having years of expe- rience dealing with prostate cancer. Attend an Us TOO Flor- ence meeting and see why we support the recommen- dation from Dr. Mehlhaff and Dr. DiMarco that men get at least one PSA test in their early 40s and then be tested annually once their reach their 50s.
