COMMUNITY
A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2016
Month of anniversaries brings cheers, tears
J
une 5 it is a day that is got to sleep in my own bed.
But I have also seen the ef-
celebrated in my family
because it’s my parents fect of the aftermath of Sept.
wedding anniversary.
11, 2001 on local communi-
But it is also a date I have ties, including right here in
begun to dread, for reason’s Hermiston. Two friends that
unrelated to my parents. On immediately come to mind
this particular June 5th, I was deployed to Afghanistan and
at my parents home wishing Iraq, leaving families behind
thing a happy anniversary to worry about their security
when I got a message from and safety. Fortunately for
an old friend from college.
their families, those friends
“You hear about
came home safely.
Dave Gilkey?” asked,
One is now retired
Karl Maasdam. Karl,
from the Marines, the
Dave and I were
other is still in the Or-
among a group of as-
egon National Guard.
piring photojournalists
Other friends from
who all attended Ore-
high school and col-
gon State University in
lege served in both
the mid to late 1980s. I Gary
gulf wars or were de-
L. West
hadn’t heard anything SHADES
ployed to other con-
from, or of, Dave in a OF GRAY
À ict zones during their
while, though.
service.
Karl brought me up to
So, for the last 10 days I
speed brutally quick.
have been trying to process
“Killed in Afghanistan and understand my grief
today” was Karl’s response, over David Gilkey’s death.
followed by a link to a sto- David and I shared a pas-
ry on National Public Ra- sion for photography and
dio’s website. Gilkey had journalism in college, but
been working for NPR ended up taking very differ-
since 2007. Gilkey had dis- ent paths. We weren’t close
tinguished himself as a still in college, but I considered
photographer and videogra- him a friend. I don’t know if
pher, most recently working he would say the same. We
for a national radio medium, were competitors for assign-
which NPR’s core audience, ments and space on the pages
its listeners, couldn’t even in the Daily Barometer. Dave
see his work unless they was always just a bit better at
went online. Such is the capturing the moment and
modern media world, where telling the story with a cam-
a photojournalist was doing era than I was, I’d have to ad-
award-winning work for ra- mit. But that made me better
dio. And where a 50-year-old at it too, competing with him
American journalist is killed in that safe, nurturing envi-
in a conÀ ict most Americans ronment of student journal-
have put out of their daily ism. He didn’t stick around
consciousness.
to ¿ nish school, turning an
It’s now going on 15 years internship at the Daily Cam-
since al-Qaeda terrorists at- era in Boulder, Colorado,
tacked the United States, into a full-time paying job.
leading to the U.S. invasions I ¿ nished school and landed
of Afghanistan and Iraq.
at the Herald and News in
I had not stayed in touch Klamath Falls, following in
with David over the years, the footsteps of another of
but for some reason with our college peer-photojour-
which I have not come to nalism group.
terms, his death has left me
Along the way, I largely
in mourning.
hung up the cameras for desk
I have had opportunities jobs and editing gigs, while
to hear from and share mes- Dave kept shooting and ex-
sages with several friends panding into video storytell-
in the last 10 days who also ing.
knew David back at Oregon
David had a connection
State. We share our recollec- to another Hermiston Herald
tions, news, memories and editor too. During his time
our grief. There is comrade-
ship and a shared emptiness.
One friend who no longer
works in journalism was left
feeling guilty for not still be-
ing involved in news report-
ing any more. Gilkey paid
the ultimate price for shar-
ing news from a dangerous,
hostile place and this friend,
who now does commercial
photography, was feeling
less accomplished — less
pure — for being home in-
stead of out dodging bombs
and bullets.
I’ve never had a desire to
be a war correspondent. I’ve
always been more interested
in helping to tell the local
stories, those close to home,
in communities of varying
sizes here on the West Coast.
Being at a crime scene where
police of¿ cers had weapons
drawn has provided more
than enough of an adrenaline
rush for me and when the
adrenaline wore off, I still
in Boulder, before moving
on to the Detroit Free Press
and NPR, Gilkey worked
with Neill Woelk at the Daily
Camera.
Maybe I, like my friend,
am grieving not just David’s
death, but all I have not ac-
complished along the way as
a journalist. But more likely,
I think, is that David’s death
reminds me of the last time
I saw my cousin Randy,
who died ¿ ve years ago this
month. The last time I saw
Randy, who in many ways
was like a big brother, was
when I was home visiting
for my parents anniversa-
ry ¿ ve years ago. He died
about two weeks later, on
June 20.
I still get struck with
À ashes of grief over his death
from time to time. He was
only 57, not much older than
I am now, and I still miss his
way of telling a story that
made it much funnier than
it deserved to be, his laugh,
his occasional advice and his
relating stories about family
members, many of whom are
now gone.
I don’t understand grief,
but I am beginning to think
its affect is an accumulative
thing. The more I experience
grief as I age, the quicker and
harder it hits me when it re-
turns on the next occasion.
Like I have to re-mourn ev-
ery past lost with every new
one.
And the date of my par-
ents’ anniversary, June 5,
was also the date when a for-
mer ¿ ancpe chose to break
our engagement and end our
relationship a dozen years
ago.
So, a date that I had previ-
ously associated with a hap-
py family occasion now has
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 110 ɿ NUMBER 23
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Worship
Shannon Paxton | Of¿ ce coordinator • spa[ton@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4530
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
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The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. 0ain St., Hermiston, OR
97838, (541) 567-6457
Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR.
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Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday: English 7:00 am
THURSDAY: Spanish 6:00 pm
SATURDAY: English 5:00 pm • Spanish 7:00 pm
Veronica Zapata
SUNDAY: English 9:00 am • Bilingual 11:00 am
Spanish 1:00 pm
Auto
Health
Home
Life
habla español
541/289-3300 • 800/225-2521
OFFICE : 567-5812
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
Veronica Zapata
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Family Insurance Agent
The Stratton Agency
Hermiston / Pendleton • stratton-insurance.com

The Full Gospel
Home Church
235 SW 3rd
Phone 567-7678
Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker
Sunday:
Sunday School........10:00 am
Worship...................11:00 am
Evening Service........7:00 pm
Wednesday Service..7:00 pm
"Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you."
1 Pet. 5:7
Grace Baptist Church
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
Nursery provided for all services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 pm
Wed Prayer & Worship - 7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word,
growing in God’s grace”
Echo
Community Church
21 N. Bonanza Street, Echo OR
Phone: (541) 376-8108
Cheese takes
center stage during
weekend event
300
in U.S. Cellular ®
Promo Cards.
AND
MORE!
Pastor David Dever
Sun. Bible Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:00am
Sun. Worship Service . . . . . . . . . . 11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship . . . . . . . . . . 6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study . . . 6:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
Sunday School • 9:30am
Worship • 10:45am
Children’s Church • 11:15am
Potluck & Communion ~
First Sunday of the Month
$
in Florida, bringing that far
away tragedy closer to home.
Oh, and this week marks
my 11 year anniversary with
EO Media Group.
All those are reasons to
pause and reÀ ect. There are
milestones to mark and cher-
ish, but there are other June
milestones that have led to
more than a few tears being
shed.
I hope your June is
marked with milestones that
bring to mind happy times
and memories of family and
good friends. I try to tell
myself that the sad events
and milestones also serve
a purpose and remind us of
the things that are truly im-
portant. But sometimes its
hard to read the reminder
notes I’ve written to myself
through watery eyes.
Gary L. West is editor
of the Hermiston Herald
and Hermiston editor for
the East Oregonian. Reach
him at gwest@hermiston-
herald.com or follow him
on Twitter @GaryLWest
or on Facebook at www.
facebook.com/journalist.
glwest.
Gary L. West | Editor • gwest@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4532
IN BRIEF
Cheese, cheese and
more cheese is featured
during the upcoming Tilla-
mook Cheese Days.
Visitors can enjoy mac-
aroni and cheese, cheesy
corn muf¿ ns, salad, cook-
ie and drink for $5. And,
it includes admission to
the SAGE Center, an in-
teractive visitor center that
highlights sustainable ag-
riculture and energy. Also,
cheese curds will be avail-
able for purchase in the
center’s store.
The event is Friday,
June 24 and Saturday, June
25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
at the SAGE Center, 101
Olson Road, Boardman.
Regular hours are Sunday
through Thursdays from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fri-
day and Saturdays from 10
a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information,
call 541-481-7243 or visit
www.visitsage.com.
some sad memories attached
to it. That’s not my parents’
fault, or my cousin Ran-
dy’s, or David Gilkey’s. It’s
not even what’s-her-name’s
fault. But I think now, going
forward, it will always be a
day of mixed emotions.
It’s been an interesting
couple of weeks. We’ve
marked my parents’ anni-
versary, my dad’s birthday,
a niece’s graduation from
Woodrow Wilson High
School (ironically, the same
school Gilkey graduated
from) and got to meet an-
other niece for the ¿ rst time,
plus I got to spend some time
with my daughter and her
boyfriend and other fam-
ily members. On top of it
all I’ve been in touch with
friends from my college days
all within the span of one
week.
Then comes the mass
shooting in a nightclub in
Orlando, Florida, which once
would have been a news
event in a far away place, but
over the years I’ve worked
with friends who have spent
part of their careers — lived,
or as still living and working
First United
Methodist
Church Of
Hermiston
Rev. Dr. James T. Pierce, Pastor
Open Hearts, Open minds,
Open doors
191 E. Gladys Ave.
Sunday Worship at 11am
(541) 567-3002
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
All People
Are Welcome
Scripture, Tradition
and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
Gladys Ave & 7th Hermiston
Fr. Dan Lediard, Priest. PH: 567-6672
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Saturdays
Sabbath School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:30 a.m.
Worship Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:00 a.m.
567-8241
Pastor Deam Lifshay
855 W. Highland • Hermiston
NEW HOPE
COMMUNITY CHURCH
2
GB
Bonus Data
monthly for
two years.
1350 S. Highway 395, Hermiston
Sunday Worship Services
English- Pastor Dave Andrus
9:00 & 10:45 am
Spanish- Pastor Genaro Loredo
9:00 & 10:15 am
Classes for kids during all services
For more information call
541-567-8441
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children's Church
& Nursery Available
Learn more at uscellular.com/bonus.
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
Things we want you to know: Shared Connect Plan 3GB and above, Smartphone purchase, Customer Service Agreement with a 2-yr. initial term
(subject to a pro-rated $350 Early Termination Fee) or Retail Installment Contract for installment pricing required. Device Protection+, port-in, Smartphone
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this is not a tax or gvmt. required charge. Additional fees (including Device Connection Charges), taxes, terms, conditions and coverage areas apply and
may vary by plan, service and phone. $1,000 Bonus Package includes a 1. $300 Switcher Incentive: Limit one per line. $100 U.S. Cellular Promotional Card
given at point of sale. Additional $200.02 Promotional Card will be mailed to customer within 6–8 weeks. Promotional Cards issued by MetaBank, ® Member
FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Valid only for purchases at U.S. Cellular stores and uscellular.com. 2. 2GB of bonus data added to customer’s
Shared Connect Plan each month for 24 months. Bonus data must be used in the month provided. A value of $480. 3. See uscellular.com/bonus for
remaining details of the $1,000 Bonus Package. Turned-In Smartphone must have been active on former carrier’s plan and be in fully functional, working
condition without any liquid damage or broken components, including, but not limited to, a cracked screen or housing. Smartphone must power on
and cannot be locked or password protected. Device Protection+: Enrollment in Device Protection+ required. The monthly charge for Device Protection+ is
$8.99 for Smartphones. A deductible per approved claim applies. You may cancel Device Protection+ anytime. Insurance underwritten by American Bankers
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locations only and cannot be combined. See store or uscellular.com for details. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their
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541-289-4774
1255 Hwy. 395 S. • 567-5834
oasisvineyard.us
Worship 10:00 AM
"come as you are"
First Christian
Church
"Proclaiming the Message of
Hope, Living the Gospel of Love"
SUNDAY WORSHIP 10:30 AM
SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:30 AM
CHILDREN'S CHURCH 11:00 AM
Nursery Provided
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
To share your worship times call
Terri Briggs
541-278-2678