Willey: No heroics, only thanks, for military veterans, families

The Washington County commissioner and former Hillsboro mayor keynoted the county's Veterans Day ceremony.

The father of U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Beaverton also served in the Navy.

"I want to assure everyone that this is a coincidence," she said as the audience laughed.

Bonamici quoted from a 1963 Veterans Day proclamation by President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated just 11 days later, that the day is meant to honor men and women who have served in war and who also seek peace with "patience, perseverance and courage."

"We have more to do to fulfill our commitment to those who have served," she said, including veterans' access to health care, assistance with housing and job placement. "We have more to do in the work ahead to achieve world peace."