07/28/2004
Oregon delegates to the Democratic National Convention gave a standing
ovation Wednesday to Jim Rassmann of Florence, Ore., the special forces officer
whose life was saved when John Kerry pulled him from a river under enemy fire
during the Vietnam War. Through the week, Rassmann has played a prominent role at the convention.
He toured Boston waterways by boat with Kerry and other veterans after speaking
to the Oregon delegation Wednesday morning. Rassmann says he is a little dismayed by all the attention. "This is all very new to me. I've never been involved in politics in any
way shape or form," he said. Kerry's quick action to save Rassman earned him one of his three Purple
Heart medals, which are awarded to solders who are wounded or killed by enemy
forces. Rassmann, a retired Los Angeles sheriff deputy and amateur orchid collector,
volunteered to help the Kerry campaign during the primaries in January. He
has given speeches to veterans' groups around the country. And his profile
will surely rise Thursday when Rassmann delivers a speech on the final night
of the Democratic National Convention. His support for Kerry has exacted another cost as well: The time on the
road has forced Rassmann to neglect his orchid greenhouse in Florence, killing
off some his favorite flowers. ___ Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski hurried away from a speech Wednesday to catch
a flight back to Oregon, where he was scheduled to attend a marine's funeral
in Klamath Falls later in the day. But the governor's swift departure hit a snag outside his room at the
Royal Sonesta Hotel. Kulongoski, apparently, had forgotten his room key. He stood with a state trooper outside the room, patting his pockets and
looking about. Then a hotel cleaning woman rolled her cart down the hall,
and Kulongoski asked if she would be kind enough to open the door. She asked for identification. Just then, a passer-by spoke up. "Ma'am, I can vouch for that man. He is the governor of the state of Oregon,"
the observer said. The woman opened the door and Kulongoski slipped inside, flashing a smile
and a thumbs up to his fellow Oregonian. ___ As Oregon delegates feasted on scrambled eggs and home fries Wednesday
morning, they were reminded of something less appetizing: mustard gas. Their catered breakfast was sponsored by Washington Demilitarization Co.,
which runs the Umatilla Chemical Weapons Depot under contract with the U.S.
Army. Over the next six years, the Arlington, Va.-based company plans to
burn more than 220,000 munitions containing nerve and mustard agents left
over from the Cold War. So a little good public relations couldn't hurt. The company plans to incinerate the first nerve agents at the depot in
mid-August, putting to the test years of planning, scientific reviews and
efforts to reassure jittery residents of nearby Hermiston. The final approval is expected to come Aug. 13 when the Oregon Environmental
Quality Commission releases the results of three years of testing. The first
missile will be destroyed several days later, said company president Mark
Evans. Washington Demilitarization, the Army and federal officials have said
the plant is safe.