Kilmer visits Shelton

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, came to Veterans Memorial Hall in Shelton on Friday for a pinning ceremony for Vietnam veterans, hosted by VFW Post 1694.

The ceremony started with posting the colors and singing the national anthem, followed by speeches from Shelton Mayor Eric Onisko and county commissioners Sharon Trask and Kevin Shutty. Kilmer gave the final guest speech before the pinning ceremony, with Vietnam War veterans or family members of Vietnam veterans coming to the front to receive their pin.

"I think it's really impressive how Mason County shows up for veterans," Kilmer told the Journal. "The fact that we have not just so many veterans show up, but so many community members and family members show up just to say thank you. Secondly, that's what this event is really about, it's about saying thank you, a few decades later than I think we should but expressing our gratitude for the men and women who sacrificed for our country and often came home and didn't get the gratitude they had earned."

Some people had a smile on their face, others had tears in their eyes, but all of them appeared grateful to be receiving recognition as a veteran.

"One of the best parts of this job is being able to work on behalf of those who have served our country. I represent more military veterans than almost anybody in Congress and that drives a lot of the policy work that we do, it drives a lot of the activity that we have in the district, doing outreach to veterans organizations and to veterans," Kilmer said. "Part of the reason we do that is if you served our country, we ought to have your back. I take that part of my job very seriously and it means we work on housing issues and veteran benefits issues and veterans' employment issues and just really across the board, just have the back of those who serve."

Kilmer's speech addressed honoring veterans through words as well as actions. He touted the PACT Act, passed in July 2022, that provides access to benefits and health care for toxic-exposed veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He said his office is encouraging veterans who are eligible for those services to sign up.

Kilmer toured the Quixote Communities veteran's village earlier this year before it was finished. He underscored the need for veteran housing.

"We need a lot more housing that people can afford. We need transition housing, we need housing for middle class families," Kilmer said. "We just need a lot more housing, period. That's not a challenge that is unique to Mason County, that is a challenge all over the district I represent and I work on quite a lot."

Following the pinning ceremony, Kilmer traveled to Sanderson Field to visit Squirrel LLC, a company that makes wingsuits and freefall equipment, to talk about some of their needs and what they are working on.

"Meeting him was awesome. It's really refreshing and reassuring to see how down to earth and genuinely concerned he was," Squirrel LLC's Matt Gerdes wrote to the Journal in an email. "We got the impression that he really does actually want to help. This was our first interaction with a congressperson and I have to say that we're pretty stoked that he is our representative. He cares about this area."

The company showcased some of the products they are working on for the Department of Defense, and Kilmer was able to help them with some contacts on how to help with production and testing. Kilmer's background is in economic development and he said he meets with about 200 businesses per year to see how his office can help them grow in the community.

"We cannot complete the projects that we are working on without the assistance of Congress. Because of the U.S. Berry Amendment, which puts up significant barriers on the fabrics that we need to procure, we are unable to produce the product that the DOD is asking us for because the fabric needed does not exist domestically," Gerdes wrote to the Journal. "Basically, we need help from the government to procure the materials and spool up production to make the product that the DOD wants to buy from us – when and if this is done, a lot of really good jobs are going to open here on Sanderson Field. We're happy to be here in Mason County and at the Port of Shelton. It's a great place for us to work from and we hope to be here for a long time."

Kilmer wasn't interested in jumping out of a plane and testing a squirrel suit, but he said one of the best parts of his job is interacting with his constituents, whether it is at events or meeting with people about various issues in the district.

"I love the time that I get to spend in the district and just getting to celebrate some of the good things happening in this community," Kilmer said.

Author Bio

Matt Baide, Reporter

Shelton-Mason County Journal & Belfair Herald
Email: [email protected]

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