Sisters honors its veterans

Sisters marked Veteran's Day with tributes both large and small, some public, some private and personal, pausing to remember the brave men and women of the armed forces. 

At Sisters High School, the 13th annual Veterans Day Celebration combined a full breakfast hosted by the Leadership Class prior to Thursday's assembly for veterans and their families. In the lobby, a memorial table displayed medals and memories of local veterans and their loved ones, allowing guests to absorb moments in their lives through the framed photos, scrapbooks and photo albums.

Senior Andrew Snyder felt thankful just being in their company.

"The World War II vets are amazing," he said. "You hear about it and see it in movies and on TV and it's hard to believe they were really there and lived to tell their stories."

Pearl Harbor survivor Harold Mulligan and wife Connie made the drive from Redmond and enjoyed the food and fellowship with friends.

"The best day in the Navy was the day I was first discharged, but I wasn't very happy going back to be guinea pigs for the atomic bomb tests," he said. "They were supposed to take care of us who were sworn to secrecy. More needs to be done for the older vets and the newer ones coming home, and the VA needs to talk to them more to understand what they went through."

New principal, Joe Hosang, started things out by welcoming everyone and thanking all attending veterans, and especially for their family's support. To commemorate the 236th birthday of the Marine Corps, Hosang's son sang a spirited rendition of the Marine Hymn.

Cody Standiford, the Veterans and Active Duty Casework manager for Rep. Greg Walden's office and part of the Wounded Warrior Program, was the keynote speaker for the Veterans Day Assembly for both the morning and evening events.

"I love my job," he said. "I get to help vets who fought for us, and that's my main motivation."

Standiford served a tour of duty in Iraq in 2005 with the Marines, hunting for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) near Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein. While in Iraq, 12 of his unit's 30 soldiers were wounded, and one was killed. His Humvee was hit four times, and the accumulated injuries and combat took its toll on his back, neck and knees and he was eventually airlifted out.

He began with a famous quote attributed to Winston Churchill: "We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.

"My grandfather and my father were both in the military, and they're two people I hold dear to my heart," he said. "When I think about what a real American is, I think of them."

Standiford shared his thoughts of what Veterans Day meant to him and recounted his troubled times in Iraq to the audience of students and veterans.

"The climate in Iraq back then was very different. We were in the middle of a civil war and an incredible amount of violence. It was like a lawless wasteland. My team and I found a lot of bombs the hard way."

He ended his talk by telling the full auditorium how thankful he was for what he has today and how so much of it is due to veterans.

"I'm free to go where I want and do what I want to do because of those before me who answered the call," he concluded. "We all need to band together to help those who have helped us."

A selection of patriotic tunes and a medley of service branch marches by the Sisters High School Concert Band and Vocal Jazz rounded out the program with a final moment of silence and the playing of taps.

World War II veteran Cecil Hector, who was honored this year for his 60 years of continuous service in the American Legion, was impressed with the town's continued improvements in the annual ceremony.

"Sisters is doing a heck of a lot more than they used to do for Veterans Day," he said. "Phil Chlopek, the former post commander here, had a lot to do with that before he passed away, including starting this high school program along with Lynn Johnston, Tom Salgado and others. Some of these people sitting here today paid a helluva price for the freedoms we live with."

Adding to the somber day of remembrance, a special flag flew over City Hall on Thursday and Friday. It came from local Iraq War veteran McKibben Womack and was originally purchased by his father for their home. On Womack's first deployment in 2003, the flag went with him. Its stars and stripes were first flown over Camp Iwo Jima near the Iraqi border. During his second tour in 2006 it was flown over the Regional Detention Facility Camp Al Ramadi on April 28-29 for his wife's birthday.

On Friday, Sisters Coffee Company hosted a day of music featuring local singer/songwriters in support of Central Oregon Veterans Outreach (COVO) and their many homeless veterans programs. People were asked to make donations of clothes, food and fuel to assist with the continued needs of area veterans. Executive director Chuck Hemingway showed up to listen to the eclectic lineup and thank everyone for their generosity.

"We came over after the parade in Bend and we're all amazed at the outpouring of sentiment for Sisters vets and are proud that they think enough about them to help out," he said, handing out cups of coffee. "Veterans serve, and now its inspiring to see a community serve its veterans."