[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 54 (Friday, May 3, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E695-E696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO OREGON NATIONAL GUARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 2, 2002

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
citizen soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry of the Oregon 
National Guard as they prepare to embark on an overseas deployment as 
part of Operation Noble Eagle.
  Last month the men and women of the 1-186th conducted Soldier 
Readiness Processing as part of their home-station mobilization, and 
soon they will leave their homes in southern Oregon to receive theater-
specific training at Fort Carson, Colorado before continuing on to the 
Sinai region of Egypt. There they will take part in the Multinational 
Force and Observers (MFO) peacekeeping mission in that troubled region 
of the world before returning to their families and loved ones in early 
2003.
  Mr. Speaker, this mission represents the largest deployment of the 
Oregon National Guard since World War II, when the ``Fighting 
Jungeleers'' of the famed 4lst Infantry Division patrolled the jungle 
trails of New Guinea. While this time Oregon's citizen soldiers have 
been called to keep peace rather than make war, I have every confidence 
that the dedication they will bring to this mission will be no less 
than that of their predecessors more than a half century ago.
  Mr. Speaker, the deployment of the 1-186th is significant for a 
number of reasons, not the least of which is that this is only the 
second time a reserve-component unit has been called upon to perform 
the Sinai mission. During their deployment, Oregon's guardsmen and 
women will ensure the freedom of navigation through the Strait of Tiran 
at the southern entrance to the Gulf of Agaba. The task force will be 
responsible for the operation of checkpoints, reconnaissance patrols 
and observation points along the international border separating Israel 
and Egypt
  Mr. Speaker, as these brave Americans travel to the Holy Land to 
serve as peacekeepers, it is fitting that we recall the book of Isaiah, 
which reads, ``I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, `Whom shall I 
send, and who will go for us?' Then said I, `Here am I; send me.' '' 
Like Isaiah of old, citizens of this great nation have always stepped 
forth to answer the call of their leaders, and this tradition continues 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, volunteering for the National Guard takes a special kind 
of sacrifice. It means working 40 or 50 hours a week in a civilian job 
and then spending the weekend training, drilling, cleaning equipment, 
going to the field, and preparing for the day when you are called upon 
to play a vital role in our nation's defense. As this deployment 
demonstrates, it means putting your life on hold for months or years at 
a time--saying goodbye to your spouse and your children and the 
comforts of civilian life to serve the United States under conditions 
that are often less than ideal. This is a duty that the men and women 
of the Oregon Guard under-take without complaint and without question, 
never shirking from the responsibility they have accepted. Patriots 
all, the citizens soldiers of the 1-186th is a unit as

[[Page E696]]

professional and as dedicated as any that has ever worn the uniform of 
the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, as an Oregonian and as an American, I am proud to call 
them my countrymen. I know my colleagues in the House of 
Representatives join me in extending their gratitude to the men and 
women of the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry--the Guardians of the 
Western Gate.
  May God bless them, and may God bless America.

                          ____________________