Flags lined a route through Ridgefield last Wednesday leading from the outskirts of town to the port’s boat dock.
The gauntlet of red, white and blue was put together by Navy veteran Bob Ford of the American Legion Post 44 to welcome a group of around 20 soldiers.
The U.S. troops, Sailors and Marines, had arrived in Portland days earlier on the USS Portland from San Diego, where it regularly docks. The amphibious transport dock ship is 684 feet long and floats at a solid 25,000 tons; it is equipped with a 371 person crew and is able to house 500 to 800 service members. The vessel was in Portland for its official commissioning, which occured last Saturday morning.
The handful of Marines and Sailors who made the trip to Ridgefield did so after an invite from Dion Hess, a Ridgefield resident and member of the Community Military Appreciation Committee (CMAC). Teaming up with CMAC for the event was Fallen Outdoors, Veterans Outdoors and Fallen Heros.
Together they put together what one might describe as a perfect day in Ridgefield: fishing on the Columbia for Spring Chinook and/or Sturgeon then dinner with the mayor at Sportsman’s Steakhouse & Saloon.
Ten small fishing skiffs were manned by Fisherman from Kalama to Camas and Hess had one-day fishing passes waiting for the U.S. troops when they arrived — all they had to do was show up and cast off.
“They put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms and I think it’s the least we can do,” Hess said.
John Kaiser, resident of Camas and 10-year Army veteran, said fishing trips like this offer a familiar but tame outing for both active-duty members and veterans, by giving them a common goal to pursue as a group.
“It’s therapy,” he said.
Although stationed in southern California, like any Navy vessel, the USS Portland craws with U.S. troops from all across the United States.
Timothy Harrison, a sailor, hailed from Clayton, a Georgia town similar in size to that of Ridgefield, which sits just south of the Tennessee border.
Harrison said it meansa lot when communities they visit make gestures like this.
“I really appreciate the fact that they appreciate the military and are willing to show us a good time,” he said.
