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News Release

Quarterly Advisory Committee Meeting To Be Held In Person And Virtually On June 3 In Astoria - 05/28/26

The second quarterly meeting of 2026 for the Advisory Committee to the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) will be held virtually and in person on Wednesday, June 3, at the Columbia River Maritime Museum, located at 1792 Marine Drive in Astoria. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. and will be followed by a town hall meeting at 11:30 a.m., which is open to the public. 
 

The committee’s quarterly report is now available to view on ODVA’s website here.


Established in 1945, the Advisory Committee holds a distinct and fundamental role in advising the director and staff of ODVA. The nine members of the committee are military veterans from all corners of the state, appointed by the governor to serve and act as advocates for veteran issues and veteran concerns across Oregon. 


Following every quarterly business meeting, the committee holds a town hall inviting the public to raise questions or concerns about broad veteran issues or to share information with the committee and agency director. 

Members of the community are also invited to submit written public comments to the committee by emailing odva_vaac@odva.oregon.gov. The Advisory Committee meets quarterly on the first Wednesday of March, June, September and December. 


REGISTER TO ATTEND 


Please register here to attend the business or town hall portion of this meeting.  


Attendees will be allowed to participate during the town hall portion only and will be invited to turn on their camera and unmute mics during a recorded meeting that will be posted online at a later date. 


More information about the Advisory Committee and meeting materials can be found online at oregon.gov/odva/Connect/Pages/Advisory-Committee.aspx.  


Established in 1945, the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs is dedicated to serving Oregon’s diverse veteran community that spans five eras of service members. ODVA administers programs and provides special advocacy and assistance in accessing earned veteran benefits across the state. Learn about veteran benefits and services or locate a local county or Tribal veteran services office online at oregon.gov/odva. 


# # # 

Quarterly Advisory Committee Meeting To Be Held In Person And Virtually On June 3 In Astoria - 05/28/26

The second quarterly meeting of 2026 for the Advisory Committee to the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) will be held virtually and in person on Wednesday, June 3, at the Columbia River Maritime Museum, located at 1792 Marine Drive in Astoria. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. and will be followed by a town hall meeting at 11:30 a.m., which is open to the public. 
 

The committee’s quarterly report is now available to view on ODVA’s website here.


Established in 1945, the Advisory Committee holds a distinct and fundamental role in advising the director and staff of ODVA. The nine members of the committee are military veterans from all corners of the state, appointed by the governor to serve and act as advocates for veteran issues and veteran concerns across Oregon. 


Following every quarterly business meeting, the committee holds a town hall inviting the public to raise questions or concerns about broad veteran issues or to share information with the committee and agency director. 

Members of the community are also invited to submit written public comments to the committee by emailing odva_vaac@odva.oregon.gov. The Advisory Committee meets quarterly on the first Wednesday of March, June, September and December. 


REGISTER TO ATTEND 


Please register here to attend the business or town hall portion of this meeting.  


Attendees will be allowed to participate during the town hall portion only and will be invited to turn on their camera and unmute mics during a recorded meeting that will be posted online at a later date. 


More information about the Advisory Committee and meeting materials can be found online at oregon.gov/odva/Connect/Pages/Advisory-Committee.aspx.  


Established in 1945, the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs is dedicated to serving Oregon’s diverse veteran community that spans five eras of service members. ODVA administers programs and provides special advocacy and assistance in accessing earned veteran benefits across the state. Learn about veteran benefits and services or locate a local county or Tribal veteran services office online at oregon.gov/odva. 


# # # 

ODVA Director's Message: Memorial Day Calls Us To Remember — And To Serve (Photo) - 05/21/26

The following is a Memorial Day message by Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels, Director, Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

 

Memorial Day is among the most solemn days on our national calendar and in the hearts of millions of veterans and military families, this day is also personal.

 

It is not simply the beginning of summer or a long weekend. It is a national day earmarked for remembrance and a day for us — as a community, as Oregonians, and as Americans — to pause together and reflect on the extraordinary cost of the freedoms we enjoy every day.

 

Across generations, millions of men and women have answered the call to serve.

 

Too many never returned home.

 

Today, we remember and honor every life given in service to this nation.

 

Memorial Day grew out of the pain and loss of the Civil War — a conflict that deeply scarred our young nation and forever changed countless families.

 

In the years that followed, families and communities continued to gather in cemeteries to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, ribbons, and flags. They came not as part of a national holiday, but as grieving parents, spouses, children, friends, and community determined to ensure those who died for this nation would never be forgotten.

 

Those humble acts of remembrance became what was first known as Decoration Day - the foundation of what we now observe as Memorial Day.

 

And nearly 160 years later, we continue that same tradition of honoring and remembering.

 

We gather to remember those who gave their lives in service to this nation and to honor not only the fallen, but also those still missing in action and the families who continue carrying the enduring weight of that loss.

 

More than 81,000 Americans remain missing in action from conflicts dating back to World War II. For many families, remembrance carries not only grief, but decades of unanswered questions and enduring hope.

 

Their absence reminds us that remembrance is not passive.

 

It requires acts.

 

And here in Oregon, we continue to demonstrate that commitment in visible and meaningful ways.

 

In 2015, Oregon law established that the POW/MIA flag be displayed in a place of honor alongside the United States and Oregon state flags at public buildings across our state. Two years later, that commitment was expanded to ensure the POW/MIA flag would continue flying indefinitely at public buildings, including public schools.

 

The POW/MIA flag serves as a reminder that our nation and our state will never forget those who have died in service to this nation and those who remain missing.

 

Today, more than 260,000 veterans call Oregon home. Many still carry the visible and invisible burdens of service. Some continue grieving brothers and sisters in arms lost decades ago. And military families across our communities continue carrying the weight of sacrifice every single day.

 

That is why Memorial Day is still observed today. Not simply as a tradition, but as a civic responsibility. A responsibility to remember the lives behind the names. To preserve their stories. To teach future generations the true cost of freedom.

 

As communities across Oregon gather this Memorial Day, I hope each of us takes a quiet moment to reflect on those who never returned home and on the families who continue carrying that loss forward.

 

May we honor them not only with ceremonies and words, but through service to one another, compassion for veterans and military families, and a continued commitment to building a nation worthy of their sacrifice.

 

Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels is a proud U.S. Army veteran and the Director of the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs (ODVA), overseeing services for more than 260,000 veterans.

Attached Media Files: Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels,

ODVA Director's Message: Memorial Day Calls Us To Remember — And To Serve (Photo) - 05/21/26

The following is a Memorial Day message by Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels, Director, Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

 

Memorial Day is among the most solemn days on our national calendar and in the hearts of millions of veterans and military families, this day is also personal.

 

It is not simply the beginning of summer or a long weekend. It is a national day earmarked for remembrance and a day for us — as a community, as Oregonians, and as Americans — to pause together and reflect on the extraordinary cost of the freedoms we enjoy every day.

 

Across generations, millions of men and women have answered the call to serve.

 

Too many never returned home.

 

Today, we remember and honor every life given in service to this nation.

 

Memorial Day grew out of the pain and loss of the Civil War — a conflict that deeply scarred our young nation and forever changed countless families.

 

In the years that followed, families and communities continued to gather in cemeteries to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, ribbons, and flags. They came not as part of a national holiday, but as grieving parents, spouses, children, friends, and community determined to ensure those who died for this nation would never be forgotten.

 

Those humble acts of remembrance became what was first known as Decoration Day - the foundation of what we now observe as Memorial Day.

 

And nearly 160 years later, we continue that same tradition of honoring and remembering.

 

We gather to remember those who gave their lives in service to this nation and to honor not only the fallen, but also those still missing in action and the families who continue carrying the enduring weight of that loss.

 

More than 81,000 Americans remain missing in action from conflicts dating back to World War II. For many families, remembrance carries not only grief, but decades of unanswered questions and enduring hope.

 

Their absence reminds us that remembrance is not passive.

 

It requires acts.

 

And here in Oregon, we continue to demonstrate that commitment in visible and meaningful ways.

 

In 2015, Oregon law established that the POW/MIA flag be displayed in a place of honor alongside the United States and Oregon state flags at public buildings across our state. Two years later, that commitment was expanded to ensure the POW/MIA flag would continue flying indefinitely at public buildings, including public schools.

 

The POW/MIA flag serves as a reminder that our nation and our state will never forget those who have died in service to this nation and those who remain missing.

 

Today, more than 260,000 veterans call Oregon home. Many still carry the visible and invisible burdens of service. Some continue grieving brothers and sisters in arms lost decades ago. And military families across our communities continue carrying the weight of sacrifice every single day.

 

That is why Memorial Day is still observed today. Not simply as a tradition, but as a civic responsibility. A responsibility to remember the lives behind the names. To preserve their stories. To teach future generations the true cost of freedom.

 

As communities across Oregon gather this Memorial Day, I hope each of us takes a quiet moment to reflect on those who never returned home and on the families who continue carrying that loss forward.

 

May we honor them not only with ceremonies and words, but through service to one another, compassion for veterans and military families, and a continued commitment to building a nation worthy of their sacrifice.

 

Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels is a proud U.S. Army veteran and the Director of the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs (ODVA), overseeing services for more than 260,000 veterans.

Attached Media Files: Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels,