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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2017)
6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JUNE 7, 2017 CG Air Force servicewoman gets promotion to Colonel Chatterbox By Betty Kaiser Congratulations are in order for newly appoint- ed USAF Colonel Kirsten M. Palmer. A promo- tion ceremony and reception for her pinning was held on March 31, 2017, in the Airmen’s Hall of the Pentagon in Washington D.C. It promoted Kirsten from a Lieutenant Colonel to a full Col- onel. Among the 80 guests attending the ceremo- ny were her husband Col. Roger Lang, daughter Addyson and other family, including her parents, Ron and Linda Palmer, of Cottage Grove. In her remarks after the pinning of the new in- signia she said, “When I graduated from Cottage Grove High School, Oregon, and headed to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, I never dreamed my life and career would turn out this well.” With graduations coming up this month, it seems only fi tting to post Kirsten’s most recent promotion as motivation for today’s graduates to dream big! Longtime Grover’s and readers of this column will remember that Kirsten was always ambi- tious and patriotic. During high school, she was student body president, a scholar and an athlete. She served as a U.S. Senate Page for Senator Bob Packwood. Upon graduation, she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was accepted by the Air Force Academy in Colorado. She received her commis- sion from the Academy in May 1995. Later she would earn a Master’s of Science degree in Re- source Strategy. Climbing the ladder in any profession is ardu- ous. We all begin at the bottom and work our way to the top. I have watched with awe as Kirsten climbed the military ladder upon her graduation from the Academy. Her resume includes stations in fi ve Major Commands (MAJCOMs) fi lling a variety of fl ight line and back shop positions. Her weapon system experience includes C-130s, A-10s, C-9s, C-17s and KC-135Rs. Currently, she is a student at the prestigious Eisenhower School for National Security & Re- source Strategy, Ft. Leslie McNair, Washington, D.C. The school is focused on developing strate- gic thinkers to operate in executive environments developing national security strategy and policy with an emphasis on evaluation and managing na- tional resources. If all that is as Greek to you as it was to me, it became most impressive after I looked up the responsibilities of a Colonel at military-ranks.org. A full Colonel is just above Lt. Col. and below Brig. General. It is the highest Field Offi cer rank. A Colonel is typically responsible for command- ing a wing (unit) of 1,000 to 3,000 airmen of low- er ranks. The rank insignia for Colonel is a silver eagle. They are sometimes informally referred to as “Full-Bird Colonels” to differentiate between them and Lt Colonels. It is the 22nd rank in the USAF. Go, Colonel Palmer! If you’re a young person considering serving your country in a military career here’s a few stats about the Air Force. Their website says that they have a total of 315,725 active duty person- nel. After basic military training —Start strong. Finish stronger—the work includes blue collar jobs, clerical, technical, administrative and pro- fessional areas. Becoming a pilot requires a time commitment, a bachelor’s degree, meeting offi cer qualifi cations, fl ight school and more. The aver- age length of service is 14.5 years. Is it worth it? The last time I spoke with Kirsten she said, “My plan was to stay in the Air Force as long as I was having fun. Twenty-fi ve years later I’m still having fun! The opportunities provided by joining the military are endless and the educa- tion benefi ts are incredible in exchange for serv- ing my country.” One of the Air Force mottos is to Aim High. That’s good advice for all of today’s graduates whatever you choose to do in life. Congratula- tions to all! Pet Tips 'n' Tales: Cat Calling By Mary Ellen "Angel Scribe" For The Sentinel "They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for." Tom Bodett When Bea moved to Cottage Grove, in 1954, she subscribed to the Cottage Grove Sentinel. She's followed the community for 63 years through the pages of the paper. "When the newspaper arrives," said Bea, "I immediately turn to my favorite column, Pet Tips ‘n' Tales." So, just for fun, to honor our biggest fan, my Silver Persian, Whyspurr, and I made a surprise visit to Bea's home. "Oh, what a beautiful cat," ex- claimed Bea. "Look! Whyspurr loves the old chair that all my cat's scratched on." Indeed, Whyspurr made a bee- line for the cat chair, jumped onto it and nestled in for her visit with Bea. The chair's sides hung in shreds, like a feline trophy of love, marking all the hard work of Bea's purr-evious cats over the decades. Fur purr-caution we left Bea's cat, Harvey, outside. Harvey would have a hissy fi t about Whyspurr, Animal Planet's fa- mous swimming kitty, sharing his mother's love and "his" chair. "Ten years ago, I heard Harvey before I could see him," said Bea. "He was starving and painfully meowing. Not having a cat, I went to the fridge and found him some meat. He was so hungry, he swallowed three bites before tak- ing another breath!" Bea asked her neighbors if any- one knew who his owners were and was upset to learn that they were on vacation, for two weeks, and had left the cat with no food! Upon the owners return they said they did not want Harvey back. Bea was purr-plexed as to why. "Harvey is such a nice cat that I can't imagine anyone not wanting him in their lives," said Bea. "He is a blessing in mine and every- one's friend." Imagine her surprise when her "friendly" cat brought home a pet raccoon! The two animals sat on her porch for two weeks sunning and chatting together. Then one day, Mr. Raccoon did not return Kassadee Hilgendorf and hasn't been seen since. Also, Harvey loves to cat-chat on the phone! One day for fun, her daughter put her phone's re- ceiver to her cat's ear and Bea put hers to Harvey's ear. The cats me- owed back and forth, then looked around for the other cat. The la- dies had no idea what the cats were talking about, but the phone felines were fully engaged in a hiss-terical conversation. Kind-hearted Harvey used to have the unusual habit of bring- ing home other people's cats! This left Bea trying to fi gure out "who to return to whom". Her neigh- bors' joked, "Is your cat missing? Harvey probably took it home to Bea's. Look there." "Thankfully, Harvey gave up his habit of trying to adopt other cats," confesses Bea, "after I re- turned all of his friends." And why have a pet when you are in your 90's? "When I am feel- ing ill or resting," explains Bea, "Harvey never leaves my side, placing one gentle paw on me - comforting me." Fifteen years ago, her neighbor had three dogs, "the boys" that Bea dogsat. One day the meter reader left the gate open and "the boys" escaped, just as the dog catcher drove by. Bea called to the boys, and they came right to her. "I hurried them into my bed- room with instructions, ‘Sit. Don't move! Don't make a sound!' The doorbell rang. I answered the door, and the dog catcher asked if I ‘owned three dogs'. I honestly pleaded innocent and he left. I went back into the bed- room and there sat the three, still as stone, fugitives that I was har- boring, saving their 'mom' a $180 'Get out of jail' fee!" TIPS "I read in an earlier column to use a man's black pocket plastic comb to groom a cat," said Bea, "Harvey never liked metal combs, so I tried this 'tip' and he loves his new black comb." Tell us about your crazy pet! angelscribe@msn.com "Follow" Pet Tips ‘n' Tales on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ PetTipsandTales Humane Society for Neuter/ Spay Assistance Program. (541) 942-2789 The Rotary Club of Cottage Grove Cottage Grove High School Born: December 12th, 1999 Is pleased to announce the recipients for the 2017 Rotary Scholarships Parents: Ron & Wendi Hilgendorf Grandparents: Dorwin & Ian Savannah Palis Cottage Grove High School Born: August 23, 1999 Parents: Danny & Candace Solesbee Grandparents: Lowell Solesbee, Sally Solesbee, Bruce & Nadyne Lamb Hannah Albrecht Seth Chambers Erin Foreman Madisen Howland Brett Ollivant Garren Taylor Josh, B-bo, Son We are so proud of you and all of your accomplishments past, present & future. Congratulations on a job well done! Way to go! Love your family, Daddy, Momma, KK, Baxter, Ali and misc pets. Sara Witty Rotary Club of Cottage Grove
