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Driving in Afghanistan- The Most Dangerous Job of All (VIDEO)

DISPATCHES FROM AFGHANISTAN
Stay with Salem-News.com for Tim King's continuing series, from Camp Phoenix, Kabul, Afghanistan

(KABUL, Afghanistan) - For centuries, the most dangerous job in war is typically that of the infantry soldier.
In Afghanistan however, many say driving trucks and military vehicles in convoys is the most hazardous duty, with IED's and other enemy traps consistently injuring and killing U.S. soldiers.

“They’re planning to target DOD convoys. So keep your eyes peeled for IED’s. You need to look for vehicles with one person in them, who’s clean-shaven, driving erratically, and the vehicles off center, off balance,” was advice given before the drive ensued.

Oregon`s Willamette River a Rising Priority (VIDEO)

Dredging was the topic of top discussion Thursday, and all hands were on deck, working together.

(SALEM) - At the invitation of Captain Richard Chesborough of the Willamette Queen, a group met Thursday to discuss the health and enhancement of the Willamette River.

Kevin Montgomery was on board to chat with attendees and witness the WRCM project underway, capturing interviews and documenting the process.

The Willamette River Channel Maintenance Workgroup was formed to address issues and challenges for the future of the river.

Liz VanLeeuwen, a former Representative of district 37 told the group, “We’re not radicals, we’re long range planners. And we need your help.”

Tim King`s First Hours in Afghanistan (VIDEO)

DISPATCHES FROM AFGHANISTAN
Tim King arrived in Afghanistan Thursday to report stories on Oregon troops. This story chronicles his first few hours “in country”, in his own words.

(KABUL, Afghanistan) - On the ground in Bagram, Afghanistan, I was fortunate to catch a ride to Camp Phoenix in Kabul, about 70 minutes away.

This was my initial destination, the home of the 41st Combat Brigade of the U.S. Army, and home for now to many soldiers from The Oregon National Guard.

These soldiers were a mix of new arrivals and returning troops. Some had been on leave, others were showing up for their second tour in Afghanistan. The trip to Camp Phoenix in Kabul is over an extremely rough road, one considered to be among the better routes in this Islamic country.

Tim King in Mississippi Enroute to Afghanistan (VIDEO)

Tim witnessed much military fanfare as the order of the day in Hattiesburg, celebrating Veteran's Day

(HATTIESBURG, Miss) - Tim King bid farewell to friends and family at the Oregon Military Headquarters in Salem, November 7th, to be embedded as a journalist with the 41st Combat Brigade of the Oregon National Guard.

He headed first for New Orleans, where he was picked up by the Camp Shelby shuttle and taken to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, near the back gate of the base and found a motel for the night. Camp Shelby is the Army base where the troops leaving for Afghanistan were located that he was to rendezvous with. He learned an old lesson about best-laid plans, they often go awry.

Salem Downtown Association Releases DVD (VIDEO)

Introducing a presentation demonstrating the longstanding combination of art and history found in Salem's downtown

(SALEM) - Few American cities have the intimate, historic downtown setting that Oregon’s capitol city has kept for so long. No major rush, safe streets, free parking and a new convention center are just a few of the amenities that this architecturally significant NW city offers, mixed with the natural beauty of the lush Oregon landscape.

The Salem Downtown Association and Salem Electric wanted to let the world know more about the confluence of history and art in Oregon’s capitol city, so they contracted Rebecca Maitland of Western Media and Tim King of Northwind Video Artists to produce a two and a half-minute video/DVD.

Oregon National Guard Homecoming In Salem (VIDEO)

Dozens of Oregon soldiers returned from duty in the Middle-East Tuesday, to the joy of their family and friends.

(SALEM) - Oregon families welcomed National Guard soldiers home Tuesday after a 14-month deployment in Kuwait. Among those soldiers were two women who share a bond that far exceeds their military commitment. These soldiers say the evening news and daily papers miss their mark in military reporting.

Salem Hospital Will Rival Oregon`s Finest Facilities (VIDEO)

"We have better throughput, which means patients don’t have to wait as long, which is important." - Salem Hospital's Pam Cortez

(SALEM) - Patience is a virtue and patients are the business at Salem Hospital. While improvements have been a constant part of this half a century-old medical facility, nobody in Oregon's capitol city has ever seen anything the likes of this.

Exclusive- Anti-War Demonstrators Rally and March in Salem (VIDEO)

"...to see what's happening in our country, the destruction of justice, illegal wars, illegal wiretapping, I think we're going downhill and we need to take America back." - Jackie Pierce, Anti-War Demonstrator

(SALEM) - Anti-War protestors rallied around the world today, and a peaceful demonstration was held in Oregon’s capitol city.

"What we're trying to do really is wake up America to what the Bush administration has been doing during it's entire life in control of the Congress and the Presidency." Sharon Scott was also an active protestor during the Vietnam War.

Salem’s anti-Bush and anti-war protest was totally peaceful, with crowd estimates between 75 and 100.

Words of Emmett Till`s Cousin Set the Stage for Civil Rights March this Saturday (VIDEO)

The shocking images that tell the story of Emmett Till's torture and murder were discussed by his cousin, who remembers the night 51 years ago like it was yesterday.

(SALEM) - The story of Emmett Till, a 14-year old black boy murdered in Mississippi in 1955 should send a shiver down the spine of every American.

His brutal murder sparked the Civil Rights movement, and this week his cousin Wheeler Parker who was there the night they took Emmett away, visited Willamette University to talk about the crime that caused a nation to awake.

Parker wasn't the target of the racist aggression that night in August of ’55. They were after his cousin Emmett visiting Mississippi from Chicago, who had committed a crime that would cost him his life; Emmett whistled at a white woman. In the middle of the night, the door to his grandfather's house was thrown open, and Emmett was taken by the mob of at least six white men, forced into a truck and driven away, never again to be seen alive. "It was terror," Parker said.

Healing Field is an American Experience (VIDEO)

The display at Salem's Riverfront runs through September 11th.

(SALEM) - Salem-News.com's Bonnie King takes you on a visual journey of the Healing Field in Salem, Oregon to commemorate Americans lost in the wars overseas and those who died during the September 11th attacks on the United States.

Each of the fallen veterans from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is remembered in name by a special marked plaque beneath each flag.