Thanks for Serving and Welcome Home

All veterans deserve our respect and appreciation for their service to our community and country. This is an issue that resonates deeply with Portlanders of a wide range of political beliefs. No matter where individuals stand on particular wars, or war in general, those citizens who serve and put themselves in harm's way as part of that service deserve our welcome and support when they return home. Welcome Back

To address support needs many veterans experience when they return to civilian life, the Veterans Reintegration Summit was held on Oct. 29, 2007. The primary goal was to explore how businesses, higher education leaders, healthcare providers, civic leaders and citizens can come together to help veterans receive resources they and their families need to return to their normal lives.

More than 18,200 Oregonians have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since the beginning of hostilities. Over 5,000 of those troops are from the Oregon National Guard (ONG) and many others are from various service reserves. Approximately 1,750 of these soldiers are from the Portland area.

The summit was co-hosted by City Commissioner Sam Adams, Multnomah Commissioner Jeff Cogen, Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader, Washington County Commissioner Desari Strader, the Oregon National Guard represented by Brigadier General Michael Caldwell, and the Portland Business Alliance represented by Chair Sam Brooks.

The summit brought together education, jobs, healthcare and family Waiting is Hard Worksupport experts, many of whom are veterans, to describe what veterans face when they mainstream back into their former lives, as well as identify some of the new issues being faced by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Participants worked in four break-out sessions to identify how their respective companies or organizations can provide resources and services to local veterans. The day was a combination of education on the issues, identifying the resources available as well as those that are needed, and discussions of efforts to be developed to address the veterans' unmet needs.
The community leaders left the summit determined to initiate change in their businesses and institutions to address the needs of veterans. They also asked to return in six months to discuss what changes they have made, and what challenges they face in providing necessary resources.

Related Documents

• City Council Resolution in Support of Veterans

Community Partners

• Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen
• Clackamas County Chair Martha Schrader
• Washington County Commissioner Desari Strader
• Portland Business Alliance
• Oregon National Guard

Our Blog

• Veterans Summit to Focus on Reintegration
• "Our Veterans, Our Neighbors"

Media Mentions 

• "Alliance Co-sponsors Summit Supporting Local Veterans", Portland Business Association Public Policy, Nov. 2007
• "Tending to the working needs of returning veterans", The Oregonian, Nov. 2007

Milestones

June 6, 2007 City Council passes Resolution recognizing the contributions of
Portland military service men and women and support various reintegration efforts in support of returning veterans.

• Nov. 29, 2007 Veterans Reintegration Summit held

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