Sean Davis for Astoria

We need a veteran advisory board. Here in Clatsop County, veterans make up 11% of the adult population. That’s about double the national average. That fact alone should be enough to make veteran issues a standing county priority. I say that as a combat veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, and someone who has spent years working with veterans in crisis.

I have seen, and lived through, what service can demand from a human being. This is not a symbolic gesture. Oregon’s suicide rate has been much higher than the U.S. rate for the past 30 years, and state officials report that people in rural and remote counties have higher suicide rates than those in urban counties. Our county has just recently agreed to a second VSO. Now there will be two people to serve our 4,300 veterans. Do you believe this is adequate?

Fifteen of Oregon’s thirty-six counties have veteran advisory committees. We need one here. A veteran advisory committee would turn veteran issues from an occasional talking point into an organized county responsibility. It would be a formal way to hear from veterans and act on veteran issues instead of just reacting when something goes wrong. They would help connect needed services in the case of mental health gaps, a tragic death while on duty or in training, or just honoring and celebrating our vets, and with the war in Iran ramping up there will be more veterans in need. It is vital that Clatsop County show they support our veterans. Wouldn’t you like to do more on Veterans Day than green lightbulbs?