OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2020
A4
EDITOR’S DESK
Save a mail carrier; buy a stamp
et’s talk about the U.S. Postal
Service.
The centuries-old institu-
tion has been in the news
lately after being caught
in the crossfi re between
Republicans and Demo-
crats negotiating a new
round of COVID-19
relief bills.
Jade
Although voting by
McDowell
mail has been at the cen- NEWS EDITOR
ter of this controversy,
I’d like to set that issue aside for now
to talk about other functions of USPS
that have not become such a partisan
debate. The truth is, the postal ser-
vice was in trouble long before this
election year and will continue to
face challenges after Nov. 3.
USPS announced its 13th straight
year of fi nancial losses for 2019, add-
ing up to $75 billion in losses since
2007. Some of those losses have
been spurred on by a 2006 mandate
from Congress that USPS start set-
ting aside funding for retirement
benefi ts promised to employees in
the future rather than paying as it
went. Easing up on aspects of those
requirements — such as lengthen-
ing out the amount of time USPS has
to meet those obligations — would
help.
USPS’s problems go beyond pen-
sions and retiree health care, how-
ever. The agency reported its peak
year of mail volume in 2006, at 213
billion units delivered. That num-
ber was down to 143 billion in 2019.
L
HH fi le photo
USPS carrier Diane Barton grabs a bin of parcels while delivering the mail on her route in
Hermiston in 2018.
Every time you check a box online
saying you would no longer like to
be mailed paper statements for your
water bill or phone bill, that is less
revenue for the U.S. Postal Service.
As the internet continues to under-
mine mail revenue, there are some
changes to its business model that
USPS could make to help diversify
its revenue base. Some politicians
have proposed allowing USPS to
provide basic fi nancial services, such
as savings accounts and check cash-
ing, for example, and to offer new
mail-related services, such as gift
wrapping.
If USPS continues to lose money,
however, our country will eventually
face a choice: Allow the private sec-
tor to take over all mail service in our
country, or decide that mail delivery
is an essential service worth subsidiz-
ing with tax dollars.
For some people, their mailbox
is a lifeline. Those who can’t afford
to pay for internet or live in a rural
area without reliable internet access
still depend on sending and receiving
mail in a timely manner in order to
pay their mortgage, utility and med-
ical bills before they are sent to col-
lections and ruin their credit. Oth-
ers rely on life-saving medications
delivered through the mail, or Social
Security checks.
Most newspapers, including the
Hermiston Herald, now use the
postal service to deliver papers
COLUMN
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Remembering my father killed in WWII
By ROBERT BOWMAN
For the Hermiston Herald
his column is part of a longer his-
tory submitted by Robert Bow-
man, a former Echo resident,
about his father, Asa Mitchell Bowman
Jr., who was killed in action in World
War II on Oct. 4, 1944, in Hongen,
Germany, after growing up in Eastern
Oregon. It is republished here in honor
of the 75th anniversary of the end of
WWII.
My father joined the Army in Janu-
ary of 1944, entering the service at Fort
MacArthur, California, where he was
sworn in, and then sent to Fort McClel-
lan, Alabama, for 13 weeks of infan-
try basic training. Upon completion of
basic training, he returned home to Cal-
ifornia for a one-week leave, and then
was assigned to join the 29th Division
training in southern England, and con-
tinued daily training until D-Day.
My father and his company landed
in Normandy, France, during the
D-Day invasion, but his platoon was in
D-Day reserve on June 6 and did not go
ashore and engage in combat until June
7, 1944, just one day after the initial
invasion of Europe by the allied armies.
This was the fi rst time the division had
been involved in direct WWII military
combat action against the enemy. He
and his unit fought hedgerow warfare
from the beachfront to the St. Lo area
until the town was fi nally liberated on
July 20, 1944. They faced heavy hedge-
row combat for months after.
On Oct. 4 my father’s company
T
was ordered into the area of Hasten-
rath-Hongen and Breberen. My father,
as a member of Company I, a rifl e pla-
toon, was ordered to move across the
German border and assess the enemy
strength. The platoon moved across
open terrain and into wooded areas
with little resistance until they reach the
village of Hongen, where they encoun-
tered “serious resistance” followed by
a night German counterattack. It was
determined later that the Germans had
launched an offensive that ran head on
into Company I.
My father was killed in the late eve-
ning of Oct. 4 just inside the small Ger-
man town of Hongen. His unit was
completely wiped out by the German
offensive; all the members were either
taken prisoner or killed. Exact details of
his death are unknown. What is known
is that on Oct. 5 his body was behind
enemy lines so there were no members
of the allied armies who could recover
his body or confi rm his death. The only
offi cial U.S. Military report listed him
as missing in action from 4 October
1944. Offi cial city hall records in Hon-
gen recorded that his body was found
in the town, which was in German-held
territory, and buried Oct. 5 by two
elderly German residents of Hongen.
In May 1945, the Allies liberated the
area and found a record of the two local
German residents having found and
buried three American GIs. The U.S.
Military then located and recovered my
father’s remains and shipped them to
the nearest cemetery, which was The
American Military Netherlands Ceme-
tery, Margraten.
It took the Army until Sept. 20,
1945, to offi cially confi rm identity and
status, and to fi nally notify Mom that
my father had been confi rmed killed in
action.
On May 30, 1993, I had the privilege
of attending the Memorial Day services
at the American Cemetery at Margraten,
the Netherlands. There were approx-
imately 2,500 persons in attendance.
Some were American military active
duty and retired personnel, but mostly
Dutch war veterans. It was clear that the
people present appreciated the dedica-
tion and sacrifi ce made by the Ameri-
cans during WWII. I was very proud to
be there and to know that my father’s
efforts are appreciated to this day.
In 1994, I attended the 50th anni-
versary of the Normandy Invasion on
Omaha Beach as a guest of the 29 Divi-
sion. On June 6, we attended the offi -
cial 50th anniversary ceremony on
Omaha Beach. President Bill Clin-
ton gave the keynote address, but Wal-
ter Cronkite got the bigger hand. We
had front and center seats with the 29th
group, just behind the VIPs.
I was very proud of my father and to
have been included in the 50th anniver-
sary ceremonies. Although my father
never returned from his service with the
29th, I had never felt so close to him as
I did during my time with the veterans
of the 29th. I also know that he would
have been very proud of the accom-
plishments of the 29th and the kindness
and generosity of the French citizens
who hosted our stay.
CORRECTIONS
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 32
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St.
• visit us online at: hermistonherald.com
The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838,
(541) 567-6457.
because we could no longer afford
newspaper carriers. Many other small
businesses, including home-based
businesses, also rely on the low rates
of USPS to carry out their work.
If all mail delivery is left to private
shipping companies, all indications
are those things would become much
more expensive. There is also no
guarantee that mail service remains
available to all Americans, any more
than rural swaths of our country are
currently guaranteed internet access
or cellphone service. A CEO focused
on profi ts for shareholders wouldn’t
keep in mind the same considerations
that have led USPS to keep post
offi ces open in small towns, such as
Echo, or deliver mail to unprofi table
rural routes.
The federal government fre-
quently uses tax dollars to subsidize
other services that don’t completely
support themselves. You may get
charged a fee to enter a national park,
for example, but that revenue is also
supplemented by appropriations that
the park system gets directly from
Congress to help maintain and staff
those parks at an appropriate level. It
doesn’t seem so crazy that mail ser-
vice might work the same way.
For now, however, USPS is
expected to be self-suffi cient, mean-
ing one of the ways you can person-
ally help them right at this moment
is by supporting them fi nancially. If
you’re running low on stamps, now
would be a great time to buy some.
Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR.
Postmaster, send address changes to
Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St.,
Hermiston, OR 97838.
Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2020
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as
soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be
corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page
will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in
the online versions of our stories.
Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or
call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report
errors.
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the
Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local,
state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer
letters should be kept to 250 words.
No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person.
The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for
length and for content.
Quarantine is hard for everyone; use this
time to build better relationships
I know this quarantine thing is hard. It
is hurting small businesses, restaurants and
schools.
Parents are also stressed about balancing
work and their kids’ education. That is defi nitely
stressful on the mind and to stay on task think-
ing about it.
But, this is a time we can make better rela-
tionships with others that are dealing with
this situation to make them feel better, which
is what friends are for. As an example, my
grandma is putting smiley faces on watermel-
ons and cantaloupes and giving them to wor-
ried mothers. This is a nice gesture to make the
world a happier place during this tough time.
Things like that make people feel like you are
right there beside them and that is a comfort-
able feeling.
I would like to share with you the pros and
cons of online learning. First, some cons are no
classmates beside you, no face-to-face teaching/
help from teachers and no non-curriculum activ-
ities. A few pros would be staying safe at home,
working at your own pace, and more time to
work on that assignment if needed.
Finally, here are some things you can do to
calm yourself. Take some time to meditate, do
some yoga, watch a funny television program
and spend time with close friends and family.
All these things calm you and take your mind
off of the virus. Think happy thoughts and count
your blessings.
We all need to learn how to relieve stress
during this time, and show kindness to people
around you. Now, we are ready to help our local
community and the world.
Colby Lerten
Sandstone Middle School seventh grader
Hermiston
Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers.
Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include
a telephone number so they can be reached for questions.
Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be
published.
OBITUARY POLICY
The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries. The
obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a
fl ag symbol at no charge. Expanded death notices will be
published at no charge. These include information about
services. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper
punctuation and style.
Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at
hermistonherald.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@
hermistonherald.com, by fax to 541-276-8314, placed via the
funeral home or in person at the Hermiston Herald or East
Oregonian offi ces. For more information, call 541-966-0818 or
1-800-522-0255, x221.