MICHAEL RASHER – THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
Veteran Michael Rasher Reflects on a Life Shaped By Service
Veteran Michael Rasher had dreams of becoming an architect, until the Vietnam War altered his plans. Enlisting in the military was an unexpected turn that he now considers a privilege, despite the challenges he faced during his service. It was later in life that he realized how profoundly his time in the military would shape his future. Reflecting on his journey, Rasher acknowledges that his military service helped lay the groundwork for his career and life, decades after.
In November 1968, Rasher enlisted in the Air Force. Following basic training, Rasher went to medical helper school for combat medical field training. He ended up getting the highest grades in the class, which gave him the opportunity to attend pharmacy school. Throughout his service, stationed primarily at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, KS, Rasher worked in a hospital and the flight line, using his pharmacy training to fill prescriptions and prepare medications. His combat field training prepared him for any critical situation.
Towards the end of his enlistment, Rasher was injured on the flight line. “I don’t know if I got hit in the legs or if I just jumped wrong. It was a kind of situation where our consciousness was elsewhere,” he said. “When I came off the flight line, it was about 2:00 in the morning and when I got back to the barracks, I looked down and I just had this massive hematoma on my leg.” Concerned, he went to the emergency room where doctors found a blood clot, leading to a hospital stay of up to two weeks. Problems with his legs continued until he was honorably discharged with a service-connected disability.
Right after, Rasher initially went to work in Georgia as a Paramedic. While on the job one night, he discovered he had another blood clot and needed surgery. Problems with his legs persisted thoughout his life.
Rasher’s life following his discharge from the service and as a paramedic in Georgia proved to be something fulfilling and meaningful to him. He went on to graduate from the University of Georgia in 1978 with bachelor’s degrees in both geology and agronomy and started working for the United States Department of Agriculture.
At the beginning of his career at the USDA, he was a soil Conservationist and a District Conservationist. In 1988, he was assigned to a technical leadership role. “My first assignment was to write a textbook that would explain and teach remote sensing applications for high altitude photography,” he said. His book was published and used throughout the government and many universities and colleges overseas.
Further in his career he took his experience and translated it into more efficient and effective methods of agricultural production using satellite navigation. He also worked closely with the military in similar ways. He went on to work with the US State Department and the United Nations on the US International GPS Team and more. “My education led me through a series of fortunate circumstances that let me come to a position where I was able to lead and support,” he said. “And I think it was my enthusiasm for maps and remote sensing that led me to be a value to the military, even after my service.”
In 2010, Rasher and his wife Janet retired, and in 2021, moved to Oregon. He joined the Happy Valley Veteran’s Group after meeting fellow member, Raymond Platz. Through this group, he found community and pride in his service. “The saving grace for me is this brotherhood of men and women veterans in this group. I never went around saying I was a veteran or that or anything else. I never talked to my family about it, I just never did,” he said. “It was the first time ever that I felt being a veteran was okay.”
Reflecting on his life experiences, Rasher’s time in the military paved the way to who he is now. “The four years I served in the military set the stage for the rest of my life,” he said. “The work I did after my enlistment was probably more important to the military than anything I had done while I was in the military. But I want people to understand that every veteran has a story to tell, and they ought to be listened to.”
After four years of serving, he returned to work for a few years before relocating to Massachusetts, where he resided for a decade. In the early 1990s, he moved back to Oregon, settling in Gresham. Approximately 20 years ago, he made another move, this time to Happy Valley. There, he became involved in local governance, first serving on the Planning Commission for around six years. In 2011, he was appointed to the City Council, and later, in 2018, he was elected to the position of mayor of Happy Valley.
Mayor Tom Ellis has led a remarkable life serving his country and community. From his early days in the Coast Guard, where he traveled the globe, to his current role as the mayor, Ellis has always approached his duties with commitment. Reflecting on his experiences, he cherishes the memories of his service. While he may not have seen combat like some of his fellow veterans, Ellis found fulfillment in his many encounters, never harboring regrets. “It’s something I can look back on and be proud of,” he said. “And I’m too old now, but if they called me and asked, ‘You want to go to Antarctica?’ I couldn’t get on the plane fast enough.”