PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 27, No. 12
THE
FREE
INDEPENDENT
The Voice
Voice of
of the Upper Nehalem River
The
River Valley
Valley for
for Over
Over 25
27 years
years
June 20, 2012
Vernonia man is helping
efforts in Afghanistan
This mother Wood Duck was seen leading her brood around Vernonia Lake recently. Other
duck species, such as Mallards, have also hatched families at the lake this year.
Public warned that bats can be rabid
As people spend more time
outdoors with the arrival of
summer, Washington County
Public Health officials are re-
minding residents of the poten-
tial dangers of bats and rabies.
“Only about 10% of bats
tested in Oregon are positive
for rabies,” says Dr. Jennifer
Vines, Deputy Health Officer
for Washington County. “None-
theless, we are advising people
never to touch or handle a bat.
It’s also important to keep your
dogs and cats up to date on
their rabies vaccinations.”
A Gaston woman was re-
cently bitten by a bat, that test-
ed positive for rabies, as she
removed the bat from her dog’s
mouth. She was given an anti-
body injection and is currently
midway through the rabies vac-
cine series. Her dog, while up
to date on its rabies vaccine, is
being quarantined for 45 days
Keep pets safe on July 4
Beware of fireworks. Fire-
works are no blast for some
pets, with many dogs becom-
ing easily frightened by their
deafening roar. The best option
is to leave your dog indoors
(not leashed in the yard) during
the holiday weekend in a safe,
secure, escape-proof room of
the house with comfy bed, safe
chew toys, food and water.
Dogs that are crate trained will
do better in a crate. Cats will do
best in a room they are most
comfortable in, with food, water
and their litterboxes. Also con-
sider leaving a TV or radio on
to drown out the sound of the
fireworks and to provide famil-
iar noises while you're out.
Be a comfort. Speak calmly
to your dog and offer soft mas-
sage. TLC goes a long way in
easing anxiety. Some dogs
also get less anxious when
they can have treats, but don't
overdo it.
Confirm your pet’s collar and
I.D. information. Dogs can be-
come easily frightened by loud
celebrations on the 4th of July.
Make sure yours is wearing a
properly fitted collar with cor-
See Pet on page 4
as a precautionary measure.
This is the first report of a
rabid bat in Washington County
in 2012. Since 2000, there
have only been five reports of
rabid bats.
If a bat bites you, call your
health care provider immedi-
ately. If a bat is found on your
property, keep children and
pets away and contact Wash-
ington County Environmental
Health at 503-846-8388. If your
pet encounters a bat or is bitten
by a wild animal, contact your
veterinarian immediately.
KUNAR, Afghanistan –
When the most advanced Mine
Resistant Ambush Protected,
or MRAP, vehicles roll into For-
ward Operating Base Wright
for repairs, it’s not the men and
women in uniform who fix them
up.
It’s a group of civilian men
and women headed up by AE-
COM-CACI Field and Installa-
tion Readiness Support Team,
or AC FIRST, who do the bulk
of the repairs to these ad-
vanced military vehicles.
“We’re a support team for
the FOB, and we’ll do anything
and everything,” said Celestino
Marrero, a Fayetteville, N.C.
native and FOB supervisor for
AC FIRST. “We can’t repair ac-
tual battle damage, but we can
do just about everything up to
that point.”
The maintenance shop run
by AC FIRST consists of a ve-
hicle
maintenance
shop,
welders, and even a weapon
maintenance shop that fixes
everything from crew served
weapons to M9 pistol side
arms.
They are capable of provid-
ing service on the vehicles in-
cluding engine overhauls, drive
train work, transmission labor
and even some supplemental
armor issues.
The shop also has field serv-
ice representatives from most
of the major MRAP manufac-
turers, who specialize in the
Vernonia 4th of July events
This year’s 4th of July activ-
ities in Vernonia include a pa-
rade at 5:00 p.m. (staging
starts at 4:00 p.m. at city hall)
with musician Jesse Cain on
the Honorary Vernonian float.
Cain will give a concert starting
at 7:30 p.m. on the school
grounds, with gates opening at
4:30 p.m. Tickets are $2 per
person or $5 per family, and all
money collected will go to sup-
port Vernonia Youth Programs.
Activities are sponsored by the
Vernonia Prevention Coalition
and the Vernonia Rural Fire
Dept.
Fireworks start at dusk (do-
nations collected afterward)
and the Boosters will once
again be offering their famous
Booster burgers. Vernonia Rur-
al Fire Dept. will also have ac-
tivities for the children in the
crowd.
Come to Vernonia’s Great
American Bash Concert and
stay for the fireworks.
specific variations of the vehi-
cle that are used in the Kunar
province.
“Basically we help with any-
one who comes in on a con-
voy,” said Marrero. “We can fix
them up, get them field mission
capable and back out on the
road so they can continue their
mission.”
The biggest customer for the
shop is the Provincial Recon-
struction Team, whose team
mechanic Navy Petty Officer
3rd Class Bryan Brys, a native
of Terre Haute, Ind., is the sole
military presence in the mainte-
nance shop.
“They support me with
everything that I need,” said
Brys, a Machinist’s Mate 3rd
Class, and the mechanic re-
sponsible for all of the PRT’s
vehicles. “There’s a lot of
things that if I can’t handle it
myself they’ll help me out.”
One particular incident in-
volved a dead starter in one of
See Vernonian on page 5
Look for these
articles inside
Banks 4th of July activities
................................... pg. 10
CCRA race results ... pg. 17
Church BBQ for the whole
community ................. pg. 7
Last Chance Dance ... pg. 7
Men’s Club returns to Golf
Club ......................... pg. 7
Obituaries .................. pg. 6
Open positions on city
council........................ pg. 7
Pioneer Baptist Fellowship
new location .............. pg. 7
Vernonia Police Report
..................................... pg. 5
Upper Nehalem Watershed
Council meeting ........ pg. 7