[Heritage] Oregon's military heritage organizations gather

[Heritage Info]

Representatives of many of Oregon's two dozen military heritage organizations met together recently at a gathering organized by Heritage Programs of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

The organizations primarily focus on specific equipment, battles and sites located in Oregon, as well as Oregon units that served outside the state's boundaries. The gathering was the first time that many of them met each other.

"We had met some of them at conferences or through our grant programs," said Kuri Gill, an outreach and grants coordinator for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. "We thought it would be beneficial to bring all of the groups together so they could learn about each other and the common challenges and resources they have."

The gathering included panels about collections care, including those special ones associated with military equipment, and developing collaborations. Tom Mann, an administrator at the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, talked about how veterans can be affected by interactions with the military heritage organizations. Heritage Programs staff talked about the resources they can provide to the organizations.

For more information, contact Kyle Jansson at 503-986-0673 or kyle.jansson at state.or.us