Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon's National Guard is in the process of mobilizing for its largest deployment of citizen soldiers since World War II.

From the start, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have relied on civilian soldiers -- tens and thousands of U.S. Guard and Reserve members rotating in and out. 

As April Baer reports, Oregon Guard members deal with the same issues other service members face in wartime -- plus a few unique challenges of their own.

When callers dial 9-1-1 in Oregon’s Coastal Tillamook County, the calm voice on the line is Jeremy Greene.

Jeremy Greene: “Tillamook 9-1-1, do you have an emergency?”

Caller: “We’re at Neskowin Beach, there’s a girl in the water.”

Jeremy Greene: “At the beach at Neskowin? How far out?....”

He enjoys the job.

Jeremy Greene: “I would enjoy it a lot more if I could actually go out on the calls I take.”

Jeremy Greene   “OK, we are dispatching help right now....”

Greene hopes he’ll someday graduate to policework, but right now his yearning for service is met by the Oregon National Guard.  

Sgt. Jeremy Greene is 26-years old, but already an experienced soldier with the 1st Battalion, 1-86 Infantry, and preparing for his fourth deployment to Iraq.

Jeremy Greene: “We’ve got a lot of younger guys right now, who haven’t had the opportunity to deploy before. Now they’re going. They’re constantly questioning you -- what are we going to expect, what are we going to see, what’s it going to be like. What should we do in this? Lotta what-ifs!”

There’s a lot to do, filling out endless paperwork: his will, power of attorney, and other legal forms. And there’s some outstanding personal business. Greene holds out a tiny white box, containing a big, sparkling diamond ring.

Jeremy Greene    “If I was going to get her a ring, by God,  it was going to be for the rest of her life, it had better be the right size.”

Sondi Edwards, Green’s fiancée, is standing on a box, tall, blonde, and barefoot and looking like she doesn’t have a care in the world. She stands in a local bridal shop, trying on a sweeping Champagne colored wedding gown, as her girlfriends fuss and hover.

Friend #1:“You look like a cupcake.” (Giggle)

Friend #2  “I like this, though.”

Sondi Edwards: “The beading is nice, but this is just too much.”

Edwards' gaze becomes level and serious, as she talks about her strategy for the separation. She says the deployment means work for her, too.

Sondi Edwards   “I don’t know how to prepare, I’ve never been through it before. I think the hardest part will be coming home to an empty house. I have a roommate right now -- it was the plan to have a roommate, so at least I’d have company and stuff. It’ll make it a lot easier to deal with.”

At first, Green was concerned Edwards wouldn't understand his commitment to the Guard. But it turns out Edwards has commitments of her own, working long hours at the family's sewer repair business. She says they’ve accepted each others commitments, and she can't imagine holding him back.

Sondi Edwards    "It's what he does. It's what he loves to do. It's a part of him, and he's ready! He's ready to go. As it gets closer  to time, he feels stir crazy."

This is a second marriage for both of them. Jeremy Greene says he knows all too well -- from his own experience, and others -- how hard deployments can be for Guard spouses, who don’t benefit from the structure and camaraderie of living on an Army base.

Jeremy Greene:  “Your wife, husband, whoever back home, their family, how close do they live? Are they in the same town? How good a support network do you have with friends? Are they going to be able to help with day care if you have kids? Are they going to be able to come over and help fix the plumbing or help fix a vehicle?”

Everyday problems like a leaky faucet, or more serious ones like child care, are real obstacles for Guard families.

John Kirby is a retired Naval Reserve officer and teacher who lives in Cape Meares. He studied the relationship between the nation’s active duty  military and reserves at U.S. Naval War College. Kirby says there’s no question Guard and Reserve families need more benefits.

John Kirby    “Historically it has been nil to non-existent, if you do not live in the immediate area of an Army base or Navy base or military facility. These support mechanisms are very real, and they are extremely necessary, particularly for the types of stressors that our current military are going through -- not only for the individual but for the families.”

At the height of the deployment, about 3000 Oregon Army National Guard troops will be serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Colonel Dan Hokanson heads the Oregon Guard’s 41st Infantry Brigade. He says the deployment is a huge adjustment for Guard soldiers and their families.

The Army is calling up people from almost all the state's Guard installations. But Hokanson says civilian experience is crucial to rebuilding war torn communities.

Col. Daniel Hokanson:  “Having spent most of a year in Afghanistan with our soldiers, they’ve had such an impact
on the community, because they thought not just about the military piece, but the fact that this community is going to grow, and they look out for the long term of Afghanistan.”

Sgt. Greene and some 3000 other Oregon Guard members will join Guard forces in Iraq later this spring. He and Sondi Edwards have decided to plan their wedding after his return.