August 12, 2022 3:50 a.m.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners have announced that two local veterans recently received national awards.

At a ceremony in Ashland, the National Chapel of Four Chaplain’s Legion of Honor gave a Bronze Medallion to Chief Warrant Officer James Little – U.S. Navy retired. That award is the second highest honor given by the organization and is presented annually to a select group of individuals. It is bestowed only to people who have made extraordinary contributions to the well-being of others at the state, regional or national level.

Little served the nation for three decades as a Nuclear Weapons Specialist in the United States Navy. Little has volunteered in many areas in the county including the Veterans Cremains Project, Save Our Roseburg VA Campaign, and the Roseburg State Veterans Home Project, among many others. Little remains an active member of a number of local veteran organizations.

Jim Barnett also received the same award. Barnett served for twenty years in the United States Marine Corp and is a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. Barnett was recognized for his accomplishments and efforts in fundraising and establishing two major National Memorial Monuments at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia. He is also credited for spearheading the campaign to create and place a memorial in Roseburg, in honor of Major General Marion Carl.

Little and Barnett have been involved with the national group on the local level, giving the Legion of Honor Award to around forty county residents in the past ten years.

Dignitaries traveled from the Chapel of Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to present the awards to Little and Barnett. Commissioner Tim Freeman was among those attending the event.