WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9
COMMUNITY
NEWS IN BRIEF
Medicare presentations off er help
Information about
applying for Medicare and
the latest updates to the
program will be presented at
free community meetings.
3resented by of¿ cials
from Oregon’s State
Health Insurance Bene¿ ts
Assistance program, Are
You Ready for Medicare?
features 90-minute sessions,
which include a question and
answer period.
Other topics covered
in the sessions include
important deadlines to
purchase additional insurance
or prescription coverage,
what happens if people
continue to work after
becoming Medicare eligible,
how to compare Medicare
supplements and how to
evaluate long-term care
insurance.
Cynthia Hylton, a
SHIBA ¿ eld of¿ cer, said
many Oregon seniors have
too much or inappropriate
health insurance. Others
don’t get all their medical
claims paid because they’re
overwhelmed by paperwork.
SHIBA assists people in
avoiding these pitfalls and
enjoying all the bene¿ ts to
which they’re entitled.
Area presentations are:
•Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 6
p.m. at the Hermiston Public
Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave.
•Wednesday, Sept. 2 at
10 a.m., Umatilla Public
Library, 700 Sixth St.
•Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 2
p.m., Oregon Trail Library
District, 490 N.W. Main
Ave., Irrigon
•Thursday, Sept. 3 at
2 p.m., Port of Morrow, 2
Marine Drive, Boardman
•Thursday, Sept. 3 at
6 p.m., Stan¿ eld Public
Library, 180 W. Coe Ave.
To ensure there are
enough materials, RSVP by
contacting 800-722-4134 or
shiba.oregon@oregon.gov.
Although pre-registration
is requested, no one will be
turned away.
For more information,
visit www.oregon.gov/dcbs/
shiba.
Altrusa hosts author Jane Kirkpatrick
Eastern Oregon author
Jane Kirkpatrick will make
an appearance in Hermiston
as her latest book is released.
Based on true events, “The
Memory Weaver” takes a
journey into the past, where
threads of western landscapes,
family and faith weave a
tapestry of hope inside every
pioneering woman’s heart.
The book is based on the life
of Eliza Spalding, a strong
pioneering woman who, as
a child, witnessed the attack
on Whitman Mission west
of present day Walla Walla,
Washington, in November
1847.
The author’s presentations
have been called “lively,
inventive, authentic and
wise.” Kirkpatrick, who
resides in Moro and has
penned more than 25 books,
¿ nds a way for participants to
experience the lessons of her
historical characters. Having
received several awards
-ane .irkpatrick
for her historical ¿ ction,
Kirkpatrick helps readers ¿ nd
healing and hope through
the power of the written and
spoken word.
Kirkpatrick will read
from “The Memory Weaver”
and sign copies during
a presentation hosted by
Altrusa International of
Hermiston. The event is at
7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, at
Hermiston Church of the
Nazarene, 1520 W. Orchard
Extension, Hermiston.
To reserve a copy of the
book, call Armchair Books
at 541-276-7323. For more
about the author, visit www.
jkbooks.com.
WWII veteran still serving his country and community
By SEAN HART
Staff Writer
The walls of Willard
“Bill” Runion’s room are
lined with recognitions
from various organizations,
but the Hermiston World
War II veteran will have to
make room for one more.
The 88-year-old was
recently named the U.S.
Deputy Sheriff’s Associa-
tion 2015 Oregon Citizen
of the Year for helping pro-
vide life-saving equipment
and survival training for
law enforcement of¿ cers.
Runion said he doesn’t
have much money to give,
but he tries to help as
much as he can.
“After I lost my wife in
’98, I went back and took
care of my mother for sev-
en years until she passed
away,” he said. “And then
I came back and I said,
‘Bill, you’re going to go
out and make a name for
yourself.’ So I did.”
Runion has been a mem-
ber of Veterans of Foreign
Wars and Disabled Amer-
i c a n
eter-
VETERAN V
ans. He
served
as commander of a local
American Legion post and
on the honor guard in hun-
dreds of veterans’ funer-
als. Giving back to service
members and law enforce-
ment personnel is his top
priority, he said, having
served as a military police
of¿ cer in the Army.
At the age of 16, Run-
ion said he lied about his
age to enlist and was sent
to Japan during World War
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Willard Runion sailed on the
troop ship the USNS David C.
Shanks during World War II.
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Hermiston World War II veteran Willard “Bill” Runion has been
named a 2015 Oregon Citizen of the Year by the U.S. Deputy
Sheriff’s Association. Runion served in the U.S. Army and was
involved in the 3aciÀ c theater and the occupation of -apan.
II. At Okinawa, he lost vi-
sion in his right eye from
the muzzle blast from an
unseen enemy soldier,
who also stabbed him in
the leg with a bayonet.
“I didn’t even see the
stupid (Japanese soldier)
right on the side of me —
it was that dark — but my
buddy did, and he killed
him,” Runion said. “After
he killed him, he pulled
that bayonet out of my
leg. At least it didn’t go
through the bone.”
Runion said he was
sent to Nagasaki after the
atomic bomb had been
dropped there. It looked
“like hell,” he said, with
little left standing.
After the Japanese
surrendered in 1945, he
said he was stationed at
Camp Drake in the Tokyo
area with Gen. Douglas
MacArthur. Runion said
he had many interactions
with the leader of the allied
forces in Japan. He said he
even saved MacArthur’s
son from falling down a
mountain when he wan-
dered off alone.
“I had never seen a tear
drop out of that man’s
eye,” Runion said. “But
when I pounded on the
door and said, ‘Sir, here’s
your son,’ tears came
down his eyes.”
After Runion was dis-
charged from the Army in
1949, he got a job driving
trucks in his Ohio home-
town. Four months later,
he decided to “see some
country,” so he hitchhiked
to Key West, Florida, and
then across the nation to
Seattle, with a truck driv-
er.
“When I got out of
the rig, I had one stink-
ing dime in my pocket,”
he said. “I put my dime
in a phone box, and you
would have thought I was
in (Las) Vegas. Money
just kept pouring out. I
took my cap (to collect it).
Some fell on the ground,
but I had $17 in my cap.”
With the money, Run-
ion bought a ticket to Ta-
coma, Washington, where
he took a job driving truck
and met his wife, Yvonne.
The couple moved to
Umatilla County in 1975
and he secured a job with
Threemile Canyon Farms.
Runion said he retired
more than 20 years ago,
but remained active in
veteran and military ser-
vice organizations. He
has received the Veter-
ans of Oregon Honorable
Service Medal and a U.S.
Army Freedom Team
Salute
commendation,
as well as multiple cer-
tificates of appreciation
from the groups in which
he participated.
Runion continued giv-
ing back to law enforce-
ment organizations as
well. He has made month-
ly donations to the Na-
tional Law Enforcement
Of¿ cers Memorial Fund
for the last 15 years, along
with the recent donation to
the deputy sheriff’s asso-
ciation.
ANNIVERSARY
Jim and Lola Pettyjohn
The family of Jim and
Lola Pettyjohn is inviting
family and friends to help
celebrate the couple’s
65th wedding anniversa-
ry. The celebration will
be held Sunday, Sept. 6
from 2-4 p.m. at the Fam-
ily Closet building, 205
Tumbleweed Blvd., Irri-
gon. The couple requests
no gifts.
Jim Pettyjohn and Lola
McCabe were married in
1950. Longtime Morrow
County residents, the Pet-
tyjohns now live in Mc-
Nary (Umatilla), Ore. Jim
is a retired farmer and
truck driver, and Lola is a
homemaker.
The couple has four
children: Earl Pettyjohn,
Anchorage, Alaska; Linda
Groce, Boardman; Jerry
Pettyjohn, Heppner; and
Nancy Lancaster, Oak
Harbor, Wash. They also
have five grandchildren
and nine great-grandchil-
dren.
Inland Musicians set rehearsals
The Inland Northwest
Musicians are getting set to
warm up their voices and
instruments.
Rehearsals for the 2015-
16 chorale season began
Monday at Harris Junior
Academy, 3121 S.W. Hai-
ley Ave., Pendleton. The
weekly practices lead up
to the ¿ rst set of concerts,
which are Oct. 17-18.
The orchestra’s weekly
rehearsal begin Thursday
from 6:30-9:30 p.m., also at
the junior academy. Their
¿ rst concerts are Oct. 10-
11.
Try-outs aren’t required
to participate with the orga-
nization’s ensembles.
T H E
Formed in 1999, Inland
Northwest Musicians is
committed to providing free
live performances through-
out rural Eastern Oregon
and southeast Washington.
The organization’s mission
is to provide an atmosphere
to support musicians in de-
veloping their talent.
For those interested in
joining the chorale, contact
Salli Ketchersid, 541-314-
5833 or email ketchersid@
eotnet.net.; and for the
orchestra, contact R. Lee
Friese at 541-289-4696 or
innw@machmedia.net. The
organization’s website is
www.inlandnorthwestmu-
sicians.com.
N AT I O N A L
MODEL TRAIN
SHOW
Portland Expo Center | Aug. 28th-30th
NATIONALTRAINSHOW.ORG
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE
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