Check out the 2026 Salute to Veterans!

If you haven’t seen it already, look for the 2026 edition of our annual Salute to Veterans. As of 2026, there are approximately 17.3 million living veterans in the United States. In Oregon, there are about 266,000. Not bad when you consider that Oregon’s neighbors to the north, south and east all have active-duty military installations. Oregon, in contrast, has two major Coast Guard Air Stations, nine active Coast Guard Stations, two Air National Guard bases, and 46 Army National Guard Armories. This year, our Salute to Veterans section highlights 27 veterans who have made Oregon their home and have served their country in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. We have a woman who served as a member of the Women’s Army Corps in the 1950s, and another who became the Director of the Oregon Department of Veteran Affairs. One of this year’s featured veterans spied on East German and Soviet installations during the Cold War.

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