The Stayton Lions Club has named retired Maj. Gen. Julie Bentz as grand marshal for the parade at the upcoming 4th of July Celebration.
Bentz may have been born and raised in small-town Oregon, but her life has included influential roles during pivotal moments in history, including large-scale nuclear disasters in Ukraine and Japan.
Bentz grew up at Blue Den Ranch, a family farm south of Jordan. She graduated from Regis High School, where her accomplishments included serving as student body president. After graduating from Oregon State University with a bachelor’s degree in radiation health physics in 1986, Bentz was deployed with the U.S. Army to Landstuhl, Germany, as a nuclear science officer amid joint military responses to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster which occurred just five months beforehand.
Bentz went on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Missouri, and a master’s degree in national security strategy from the National War College. She served as an advisor to the White House National Security Council on strategic responses to nuclear disasters, including the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown in 2011.
She has served as a civil support team science officer for the National Guard Bureau and director of response operations for the Homeland Security Council. In 2011, Bentz was promoted to brigadier general with the Oregon National Guard, the first woman to achieve this rank. She retired as a major general in 2019 and returned to the family farm.
Bentz will be the top dignitary during the celebration’s parade throughout Stayton, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. after a planned F-15 flyover. Parade entry forms are still being accepted, with a deadline of June 30.
For additional information on 4th of July Celebration events, visit www.Stayton4thOfJuly.com.
