OPINION
Blue Mountain Eagle
A4
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
OUR VIEW
Kotek
needs to be
governor for
all of Oregon
T
he end of an election delivers great opportunity, and we
hope newly elected governor Tina Kotek will be able
to exploit the future prospects her selection by voters
provides.
Kotek didn’t exactly reach offi ce on a mandate. Her victory
over opponent Christian Drazan was close — closer than usual
in an Oregon governor’s race — and she can point to four or
fi ve counties whose voters helped her reach the state’s highest
elected offi ce.
A fairly large swath of the state didn’t vote for her, including
Eastern Oregon.
The results of the election once again solidifi ed the by now
familiar scenario where voters in a few key counties chose our
governor.
The hope, of course, is that fact — a state deeply divided
among political lines — can be a starting point for Kotek, a
place to move away from on a journey to deliver unity, purpose
and leadership for all.
Kotek’s political views stand in stark contrast to much of the
state and Eastern Oregon. That’s a divide that must be bridged
for the state to move ahead.
For Oregon isn’t just Washington, Lane or Multnomah coun-
ties. An individual’s geographic location and political view-
points shouldn’t be an automatic disqualifi cation from relevance.
The election is over, and Tina Kotek is our governor, and
we hope she is able to look at the entire state, see that its polit-
ical diversity can be a strength and begin to fi ll in the deep
chasm between rural and urban, Republican and Democratic, in
Oregon.
She doesn’t necessarily have to do so. She will be a Demo-
cratic governor in a state with a Democratic majority in the Sen-
ate and the House. Bottom line is if Kotek doesn’t want to do
much for anyone but her Democratic cronies, she doesn’t have
to. That’s where, though, we hope Kotek will illustrate she isn’t
just another politician but has the makings of a statesman. A per-
son who can look at the broader picture and see clearly what
needs to be done whether it is a Democratic or a Republican
idea.
The end of an election is a time of hope. While hope is not
a method, we do wish that our new governor discards partisan
politics and governs for all, not just one party.
COMMENTARY
Remembering Korean War on Veterans Day
W
e are proud to note that even
in the wake of devastat-
ing and destabilizing world
events like the COVID-19 pandemic,
celebrations that honor our nation’s vet-
erans were among the fi rst to return to
full strength. The value that we as Ore-
gonians and Americans place on hon-
oring and showing gratitude toward
those who have served and sacrifi ced
to protect our freedoms and way of life
is immense.
This year, while the Oregon Depart-
ment of Veterans’ Aff airs continues to
honor all veterans, we are paying trib-
ute to one particular era of our veteran
community: Oregon’s Korean War vet-
erans. Though this war is referred to
as the “Forgotten War,” we in Oregon
have never forgotten — and will never
forget — the extraordinary and heroic
veterans who fought for freedom in the
Korean War.
This theme has a personal signif-
icance for me. My father fought as a
Marine during the Korean War, where
he earned the Purple Heart. After I was
commissioned as a second lieutenant
in the Army and asked for my fi rst tour
of duty to be in South Korea, my father
shared the only thing he ever said to me
about his combat experiences there. He
half-joked that if I ever traveled near
the DMZ, I would surely see his fi nger-
nails where he desperately attempted to
dig a deeper foxhole as enemy artillery
rained down on his unit.
Of course, my own experience
of being stationed in the Republic of
Korea was vastly diff erent, thanks to
those courageous men and women who
fought during the Korean War. In fact,
I enjoyed my fi rst tour in Daegu so
much that several years later, I served
a two-year tour in Korea. The Korean
people are wonderfully gracious and
kind. Whenever I was in uniform out-
side the military base, older Koreans
who remembered the war would some-
times approach me and thank me as a
representative of the American military.
In 1950, our nation was weary of
war after years of global confl ict. Yet
1.5 million Americans — including
60,000 Oregonians — left their fam-
ily and friends and their homes to help
defend our nation’s friends and allies
halfway around the world, in a place
they had never been and on behalf of a
people they had never met.
Together with men and women
from 20 other
nations, they joined
shoulder to shoulder
with the brave peo-
ple of South Korea
to defend their inde-
pendence, to safe-
guard other Asian
Kelly
nations, and to pro-
Fitzpatrick
tect the freedom that
remains our greatest gift. All those who
fought in the Korean War endured ter-
rible hardships — deadly cold, unbear-
able conditions, an enemy of over-
whelming numbers, and the threat of
brutal imprisonment and torture.
But their courage never wavered
— not when they were defending the
perimeter at Busan, braving the tides
at Inchon, confronting the world’s fast-
est fi ghter jets in MiG Alley, enduring
hand-to-hand combat on Heartbreak
Ridge and Pork Chop Hill, or even
fi ghting their way back from the infa-
mous Chosin Reservoir. In Septem-
ber of this year, I had the privilege of
speaking at an Honor Flight of Portland
send-off event for 24 honored veterans
— 19 of whom served in the Korean
War. It was an honor to meet them,
shake their hands, hear some of their
stories, and wish them well as they pre-
pared to fl y across the country to visit
the fabulous memorials built in our
nation’s capital to honor and remem-
ber their service and sacrifi ce. They set
a standard of valor and perseverance
that may be equaled, but will never be
surpassed in the annals of American
history.
The men and women who served in
the Korean War set themselves apart
not only by their courage and sacri-
fi ce, but by their unity and dedication
to one another. It was just before the
Korean War, in 1948, that President
Harry S. Truman issued Executive
Order 9981 — abolishing discrimi-
nation based on race, color, religion
or national origin in the United States
armed forces.
When war broke out in 1950, our
country — for the fi rst time in its his-
tory — entered the fray with a fully
integrated and desegregated military.
These proud service members of all
races, ethnicities and backgrounds
joined the people of 20 other nations
and South Korea to fi ght this war.
Earlier this year, we also observed
the 73rd anniversary of the establish-
ment of the Korean Augmentees to the
US Army (KATUSA) program. It was
started as a spoken agreement between
President Seungman Lee and U.S. Gen.
Douglas MacArthur. At that time, the
U.S. Army needed a military force that
had a proper knowledge of the geogra-
phy of Korea, the ability to distinguish
South Korean allied troops from North
Korean enemy troops and communi-
cate better between U.S. soldiers and
Korean soldiers. Therefore, some men
were drafted as KATUSAs, and others
voluntarily applied. After training, they
were assigned to U.S. military units.
During the Korean War, nearly 44,000
KATUSA soldiers fought for South
Korea with U.S. forces. They, too, are
heroes, and we honor them today.
This program continued after the
Korean War, and KATUSA soldiers
would spend 18 months with the U.S.
Army learning an occupation and
would then return to the ROK Army
to train others. The program remains
active today and is a symbol of the
ongoing friendship and mutual com-
mitment between the Republic of
Korea and the U.S.
I was fortunate to have KATUSA
soldiers in my organization during
both of my tours in Korea. They were
among the most dedicated soldiers I
have had the honor of serving with.
Finally, on this day, we remember
and give thanks for the 40,000 Amer-
icans who paid the ultimate price in
the fi ght for freedom and indepen-
dence during the Korean War. Among
their number were nearly 300 Orego-
nians whose names are inscribed on the
Oregon Korean War Memorial in Wil-
sonville. Similarly, we give thanks for
the more than 11,000 KATUSAs who
went missing or were killed in action.
The world is a better place because
of these men and women. Our duty as
a nation and people is to remember and
honor them, and to always strive to live
up to the ideals for which they served
and sacrifi ced.
Kelly Fitzpatrick is the director of
the Oregon Department of Veterans’
Aff airs and Governor Kate Brown’s
policy advisor on veterans’ issues. She
is a retired Army offi cer. Her military
awards and decorations include mul-
tiple awards of the Meritorious Ser-
vice Medal, the Southwest Asia Ser-
vice Medal and the Army Parachutist
Badge.
COMMENTARY
Shortage of sports offi cials critical
By Randy Fulton
“G
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
USPS 226-340
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
Email: www.MyEagleNews.com
Phone: 541-575-0710
John Day, Oregon
MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
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M ARKETING R EP Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com
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ames canceled — no
offi cials.”
This headline is
becoming increasingly frequent.
High school and middle school ath-
letes, coaches, administrators, kids,
parents and fans are all paying the
price.
Why is it so hard to get new
sports offi cials? As a retired basket-
ball and baseball offi cial and cur-
rent commissioner of a basketball
offi cials’ association, I can give you
my opinion(s). Offi ciating any sport
requires desire, dedication, train-
ing, time, money and tolerance. An
offi cial of any sport must enjoy the
sport, enjoy the kids and want to be
the best offi cial possible. He or she
must be able to sacrifi ce some free
time and be a little tolerant of exu-
berant fans.
I began offi ciating basketball and
baseball in 1976 and our local offi -
cials’ association had over 30 mem-
bers ranging in age from 19 to 68. Of
course, those were the “boom” years
in Harney and Grant County. Today I
have just eight basketball offi cials to
cover six high schools and three mid-
dle schools. Yes, COVID had a sig-
nifi cant role in the loss of offi cials,
but most of the offi cials we lost were
close to retiring anyway. We can-
not seem to get any of the younger
generation interested in becoming
an offi cial. The No. 1 reason I get
is “With my job, I just don’t have
time” or “I don’t think I could deal
with the abuse from the fans.”
Jobs are a legitimate excuse,
and I cannot blame a young person
for that, but the fan abuse is being
addressed at the local and state lev-
els, and from everything I can see
at various sporting events, fans are
helping with the problem by polic-
ing themselves. Coaches are now
conducting themselves more pro-
fessionally in their interaction with
offi cials.
If we are unable to reverse the
current downward trend in our num-
ber of offi cials, it will not be long
before there are no offi cials for mid-
dle school contests, frosh/soph/
junior varsity and eventually var-
sity contests. We are already at the
point in basketball that after receiv-
ing the schedule from six schools,
I must ask athletic directors to try
and change Friday and Saturday
games to a Monday or Wednesday.
These types of changes have a trick-
le-down eff ect and cause problems
with the visiting teams, busing, prac-
tice schedules, parents and fans.
We need new people to get
involved! The costs associated with
becoming a certifi ed sports offi cial
are minimal, about $80 for the reg-
istration fee with the OSAA, and
in basketball the uniform, includ-
ing shoes, will be around $150. To
hopefully attract interest, the schools
in our region, in cooperation with
the Strawberry Basketball Offi cials
Association, have pledged funds to
help off set the cost of getting started.
If you have any interest in “giving
back” and helping to ensure our ath-
letes continue to have competitive
sports, please contact me at 541-589-
2593 or ranful71@yahoo.com. If
you are interested in offi ciating base-
ball, softball, football, volleyball,
basketball or wrestling, I will put
you in touch with the right person to
get you started.
I can assure you that the commis-
sioner for any of the sports will make
every eff ort to ensure that your reg-
ular job is aff ected as little as possi-
ble. The compensation for all sports
offi cials has increased in the past few
years, and if your schedule permits
you can have as many or few games
per week as want.
Let us put an end to cancellations
and postponements due to no offi -
cials! Call or email me today. I will
provide you with any information
you need to help make your decision
to become a certifi ed sports offi cial.
Randy Fulton is the publisher
of the Burns Times Herald newspa-
per and president of the Strawberry
Basketball Offi cials Association,
serving Harney and Grant counties.