Page 14
The INDEPENDENT, November 20, 2008
Help a soldier and “give thanks” by becoming a military pen pal
Can you imagine celebrating
Thanksgiving in the blistering
desert heat or bone-chilling
mountain cold? These are just
a few of the challenges that
face members of our Armed
Forces on a daily basis. This is
the sixth year Americans will
celebrate the holidays while
troops are stationed in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The Manhat-
tanville (NY) My Soldier office
reports that soldiers tell them
that around the holidays, “the
need for mail and emotional
support is greatest.”
The Manhattanville My Sol-
dier pen pal program offers the
opportunity for Americans to
“give thanks” by giving the gift
of friendship and support to the
brave men and women of the
military who are deployed in
hardship areas. The goal of the
program is to show support for
troops serving in hardship ar-
eas by establishing pen-pal re-
lationships with them. Partici-
pants also get something in re-
turn...the warm feeling that
comes from making a differ-
ence and in the process,
maybe even a new friend.
Richard Berman, Manhat-
tanville president and co-
founder of the My Soldier pen
pal program suggests that,
“Civilians coping with the de-
mands of everyday life often
forget the sacrifice of our sol-
diers. As we pay the rent and
go shopping and raise our chil-
Rue sworn in as new Banks law officer
From page 13
the economy and a slowdown
in production, foreign compa-
nies are not packaging as
many goods, Weitzel ex-
plained, so Swatco is experi-
encing a decrease in revenue
and, instead of being paid for
recycling, Swatco is now pay-
ing FarWest $10 a ton to dis-
pose of recyclable products.
“Recycling right now has is-
sues” he noted.
Jim Rue was sworn in as a
City of Banks law enforcement
officer. Rue has been with the
Washington County Sheriff’s
Office for seven years, and
Banks is located within his reg-
ularly assigned area. He is also
a member of the search and
rescue team. October law en-
forcement activity in Banks in-
cluded 25 calls for service,
eight arrests, 28 traffic stops
and seven citations.
Council adopted a Resolu-
tion opposing development of
liquified natural gas terminals
on the Columbia River. Coun-
cilor Craig Stewart opposed the
resolution as written. Although
he supports the “No on LNG”
position pertaining to the pro-
posed Bradwood Landing and
Warrenton liquified natural gas
terminals, Stewart said that he
thinks the pipeline to Central
Oregon is necessary.
Council approved the first
reading of an ordinance estab-
lishing the procurement of
goods and services for the City
and the disposal of surplus
property. City Attorney Jim Lu-
cas requested that council read
through the ordinance because
of additions to the proposed
property disposal ordinance.
During Round Table discus-
sion, Council endorsed a holi-
day decoration contest con-
ducted by the Banks Chamber
of Commerce. Chamber repre-
sentative Raymond Deeth
agreed that the chamber will
Super Quiet
Portable Power
judge the contest and will
match funds with the city. There
will be first, second, and third
place prizes, with all prizes to
be purchased from local busi-
nesses. More information will
be provided in the water bill.
In other business, Council:
• Approved an intergovern-
mental agreement (IGA) with
the Oregon Department of
Transportation for Public Works
Emergency Response Cooper-
ative Assistance;
• Approved an IGA for mutu-
al aid for Emergency Services
Related to Water and Waste-
water Utilities through the Ore-
gon Water and Wastewater
Agency Response Network
(OWARN);
• Approved a Construction
Excise Tax (CET) IGA with the
Banks School District.
The next Banks City Council
meeting will be held Tuesday,
December 9 at 7:30 p.m. in
Banks City Hall.
dren, we take for granted our
relative security and prosperity
compared to the rest of the
world. Soldiers, however, know
all too well the chaos and tur-
moil of trouble spots because
they witness it firsthand. By
writing letters and sending oc-
casional care packages, civil-
ians show how grateful we are
for everything our soldiers and
marines do to protect our free-
dom and liberties.” He adds
that joining the My Soldier pro-
gram as a family can be a
meaningful holiday activity. “We
have had every scenario of
family participating imagina-
ble.” Individuals and groups
from different generations have
participated. Writers get to
know soldier, establishing
friendships. Children learn the
values of service and commu-
nity.
To participate individually,
with a group or as a family, sign
up at www.mysoldier.com.
Within a week registrants will
receive a starter kit with guide-
lines for contacting their “adopt-
ed” soldier, a bracelet to wear
as a show of support for their
soldier until he or she returns
home safely, and a special em-
broidered hat to send to their
soldier with first correspon-
dence. The My Soldier office
notes that the United States
Post Service (USPS) an-
nounced that December 11 is
the deadline to guarantee holi-
day delivery for letters and
packages being mailed first
class to APO/FPO military ad-
dresses.
For more information, visit
www.mysoldier.com or call 914-
323-5172. The program is free,
however for those who can af-
ford it, a voluntary donation is
requested to counter the costs
of postage and operating ex-
penses.
VMS Honor Roll members, cont.
From page 10
Summer Snow, Winter Snow,
Dylan Taylor, Logan Titus, Tay-
lor Titus, Sarah Wagner, Jalin
Wilson, Brittany Young.
Honors,
3.25-3.49
–
Matthew Bringman, Riplee
Burch, Andrew Cheney, Ryan
Cochran, Tori Dalebroux, Jesse
Edgar, Jessica Gardner, Jaz-
mine Harper, Timothy Jen-
nings, Lilliann Lindsley, Ronnie
Maldonado, Nickita McCord,
Melissa Mulvey, Daniel Rice,
Sven Sandstrom, Felicia Schir-
meister, Bridger Steward, Ellys-
Affordable Tuition for an Excellent Education
Now Enrolling for 2008 - 2009
Banks Christian Academy
Established since 1983
Challenging academics, Christian values and small class sizes.
• Preschool thru 12th Grade • Before & After School Care
• Languages, Music, Art & Computers • 3 or 5 Full Day Kindergarten
• Many Educational Field Trips
• Transportation Vernonia/Banks
22785 NW Fisher Rd. Buxton 97109
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www.bankschristianacademy.org
sa Szlavich, Jacob Vigil, Dami-
an Young.
Honorable Mention, 3.0-3.24
– ZiXian Chen, Alexander Dot-
ter, Jessica Fitch, Nathan
Fleck, Julia Fletcher, Ryan
Groom, Courtney Jones, Tyler
Kent, Kirsten Leaverton, Re-
becca Levenseller, Timothy
Martinez, Sara McMahon,
Amanda Mikalow, Audrya
Owen, Makayla Roach, Do-
minic Szlavich, Kelli Thomp-
son, Jacob Vifquain, Jared
Whitton.