Washington's Sen. Patty Murray recently recognized the Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce for its efforts to support National Guard soldiers. She stopped by the chamber's December luncheon to deliver thank-you remarks and give an update on some of her initiatives.

“This is a community that really knows how to stand up for its neighbors,” she told a packed audience at the Purple Fig restaurant.

“It is so great what you are doing on a volunteer basis in Port Orchard,” said Murray, a senior member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee whose father was a Purple Heart World War II veteran. “We have to make sure when they come home, and while they are there, we take care of them.”

The chamber started its support program for National Guard members and their families about five years ago, according to John Forster, who created the military affairs committee and was formerly its chair. “A lot of these folks…are our neighbors,” he said. “We firmly believe it's up to us to take care of our neighbors and our military, even if they are from a different area, if no one else will.”

The chamber's efforts have included Christmas parties for USS Camden families, which were presented as a thank you and were well-received. They have raised funds for a special emergency account at Kitsap Community Resources, and have engaged other local chambers, civic groups and the military bases to participate in the support efforts for the National Guard families. “Some were in both emotional and financial extreme duress,” after the Guard was activated full-time, said Forster, who served in the Marine Corps. The chamber has facilitated family support services to be provided by the Navy base along with a program that connects active-duty Navy families with National Guard families.

“We are trying to resolve some of the problems the families have, at least in the short term,” he said. “We can be very proud of our Guard here in Washington state, and we are.”.