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 Soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard bid farewell to family and friends during a mobilization ceremony in Central Point, Ore., on May 4.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard, participated in a ceremony to honor the troops mobilizing for a deployment to Iraq and give them a last farewell to family and friends before leaving for mobilization training.
The 41st IBCT, just arriving from training in California, will leave for 60-days of training in Georgia, to prepare the unit for their mission in Iraq.
More than 1,200 members from the community and family members came together to show their support for the soldiers leaving and to have one last look at their loved ones before their year apart begins.
It was an emotional ceremony for many family members as the realization of what would happen started to sink in, however most soldiers have been preparing their families for this moment and helping them understand what their job entails.
“[My family is] upset because they don’t want their dad and husband to be gone,” said Spc. Joshua Graves, a medic in Company A, 1st Bn, 186 Inf. “They understand what has to happen and being a citizen soldier, or national guards-member. Obviously we train so were ready to go anytime.”
Oregon House effort to preclude future National Guard call-Ups
Co-operation between Rep. Dennis Richardson (R-Central Point) and Rep. Chip Shields (D-Portland) has led to bi-partisan support for efforts to clarify how Oregon’s National Guard is utilized by the federal government. The two have worked on a proposed amendment to HB 2556, a bill which calls on Oregon’s Governor to ensure the Guard is only used in the presence of a “valid Congressional enactment consistent with the Constitution of the United States of America.” HB 2556-1 has gathered nearly enough support to pass a vote in the Oregon House, according to grassroots organizers who support it.
“This is the most important issue of our time, how and when to send our National Guard members into war,” said Rep. Shields.
Richardson’s View
Rep. Richardson, whose own military service included service as an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, sees the issue as a question of state and federal powers, which are clearly spelled out in the Constitution.
“The Constitution gives only Congress the authority to declare war,” said Richardson. “If the new President, a constitutional scholar, wants to use Oregon’s National Guard, he should only do so pursuant to a valid Congressional Resolution. The Oregon National Guard should not be treated like the private army of any U.S. president.”
In short, HB 2556-1 clarifies that in the future, the President should only call up the States organized militia, the Oregon National Guard, in accord with existing law and the U.S. constitution.
Oregon is one of 23 states (plus Washington, DC) with efforts under way to clarify that governors have the authority to inspect federal orders to ensure they are lawful before releasing their state militias to federal service.
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