Armory: Good news, bad news
Ontario Readiness Center is off the budget chopping block, but two others in Central Oregon may be closed
By Pat Caldwell
Argus Observer
Sunday, May 31, 2009 12:51 AM PDT
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| Pat Caldwell | Argus Observer
Capt. Seth Musgrove (right) hands a tank training round to 1st Lt. Jamie Roscoe at the Ontario National Guard Armory in Ontario Friday afternoon. Musgrove’s unit, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, will be able to move into the new Ontario Readiness Center after the Oregon Military Department announced the facility would remain open. |
Ontario-Oregon Army National Guard Capt. Seth Musgrove can breathe a little easier regarding the new Ontario Readiness Center.
Musgrove commands Ontario’s Guard outfit, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment. For the past few months, Musgrove and Charlie Company faced the probability the new multi-million dollar armory under construction on Southwest Fourth Street may not open because of state budget cuts.
Last week, though, the Oregon Military Department announced the Ontario Readiness Center was not on the list of armories set for closure.
But two other armories — in Prineville and Redmond — are on the list to be closed, and that information is bad news to Musgrove’s boss, Lt. Col. Kevin Sheehy.
For Sheehy, Union, the commander of the 3rd Battalion, the news Prineville and Redmond are on the cut list means a number of different things at once. And all of them are bad.
“The loss of those two armories (in Prineville and Redmond) will affect this battalion’s ability to perform its mission, both at the state and federal level,” Sheehy said in an interview late last week.
The 3rd Battalion is a big Guard outfit, with units across central and Eastern Oregon. The 3rd Battalion consists of citizen-soldier outfits from Redmond, Prineville, Hood River, The Dalles, Hermiston, Pendleton, La Grande, Baker City and Ontario.
Both Prineville and Redmond host two 3rd Battalion units, and, if those armories are closed, Sheehy will not only be forced to find a new home for them but also face the prospect of losing Guardsmen.
“I have concerns,” Sheehy said. Along with Prineville and Redmond, the Oregon Military Department announced recently armories in Coos Bay, Milton-Freewater, Newport, Lebanon, Burns and St. Helens might also be closed because of state budget woes.
Sheehy said Redmond houses about a company of Guardsmen, while a 3rd Battalion detachment uses the Prineville facility. For Sheehy, the new armory closure scenario is like two sides of the same coin. On one side of the coin is the fact the Ontario Readiness Center will remain open. On the other side is the specter of losing two key facilities his battalion needs. Sheehy said he was pleased to hear the Ontario Readiness Center is now off the budget chopping block.
“I’m real happy the unit and the Ontario community were able to convince legislators it would be unwise to shut that armory down. I’m pleased with the community support on that. The community and unit members played a big role in keeping that armory going,” Sheehy said.
While the fact Ontario is off the cut list is gratifying to Sheehy, the loss of the Redmond and Prineville facilities will be a blow to his battalion, he said.
“It makes me short a company of mechanized infantry,” Sheehy said.
Then there is the simple fact the Guardsmen who trained once a month in Prineville and Redmond will have to go somewhere else for duty.
“So I force all those people to drive seven hours to drill in a place like Baker City? Logistically, it is not feasible,” he said.
Moving a Guard unit from one Eastern or central Oregon town to another is not an easy task, Sheehy said, and it can make a large impact across a community.
“If I make them drive, I have to figure in the impact that will have on their employer and their family, and, of course, that Guardsman is going to make less money, which is a big factor during an economic downturn,” he said.
And the rest of the 3rd Battalion must scramble to pick up the slack from the loss of two key units, Sheehy said.
The closure of an armory doesn’t help with creating a solid recruiting base for the future, he said.
“Once you lose a community, and you are no longer recruiting there, it is darn hard to put a unit back in. And it is one less thing that makes a community whole,” Sheehy said.
Guard units are a key resource — especially during an emergency — for any community, he said.
“If, indeed, those armories are closed, I do expect to lose soldiers over it. They will either change their minds about re-enlisting or change units and go to another battalion,” he said.
Sheehy said he realized his situation is not much different than a lot of other state agencies struggling with budget woes.
“I was hoping they cut someone else and not me, like everyone does when it comes to budget cuts.” he said.
A final reprieve
For Musgrove, the future of his unit is a little bit brighter now.
He also noted the Ontario community bonded to help keep the new readiness center open.
“It kind of gives me renewed faith in the political process. People realized the importance of the new armory,” he said.
Without the assistance from regional and local political leaders and residents, the readiness center might have been moth-balled before it even opened, he said.
“I’m gracious they (the community members) came together and helped go to bat with us on this issue,” he said.
Staff Sgt. D.J. Clapp, Payette, Charlie Company’s training non-commissioned officer, said the new readiness center is a good thing for the community.
“It will be a great asset to Ontario,” he said. “And make training for us easier.” Clapp said the cooperative agreement with Treasure Valley Community College - where the learning center utilizes the new armory for classes — is a key piece of the readiness center’s value.
“I think we have a very good working relationship with TVCC,” he said.
Charity Kreider wrote on Oct 27, 2009 12:22 PM:
My brother Michael is a veteran who has been diagnosed with PTSD and schizophrenia. It’s been over a year and Michael is improving. My family is eternally grateful for the unwavering support of staff at the Portland Veteran’s Administration that he has received since his benefits were reinstated. When he had his first psychotic episode in 2007, Michael was dishonorably discharged after serving in Iraq for over a year in 2004-05. Before then, he was doing well attending Oregon State University, he bought and was remodeling a home--life was stable. When Michael became sick, the military refused to help Michael or his family when he was not the same person anymore. They treated him like a criminal and stripped him of his honor. Kevin Sheehy was key in this.
As a family, we fought long and hard with limited financial or other resources, writing letters, showing up at the Oregon National Guard headquarters and the State Capitol and begging for help. I watched my parents sob in desperation in front of military leadership and politicians. During this time, Michael became worse, destroying his property and isolating himself. He became so paranoid that he believed his food was being poisoned and would not eat. We were certain he would not live through it. Even though the military knew of these conditions and had the authority to reinstate Michael and get him the help he needed, nothing was done.
Through documentation from the VA and our own, constant calling, writing letters, and begging, the military finally gave Michael his benefits and he received help at the Portland VA. During the time he was not receiving any financial compensation or veteran benefits because the military had taken them away, he accrued medical bills, unpaid mortgage payments, and private educational loans. Eventually Michael had to file for bankruptcy.
Now that Michael is stable, it is time to spend the energy and resources to find justice for him and for any other soldier who is mistreated by the military due to the a lack of education about mental illness or the willingness to provide resources to care for our soldiers by the military. No matter the circumstances, dealing with a disease as severe as schizophrenia is devastating beyond explanation. The way in which the military treated Michael and his family during this time made it even more difficult, financially, emotionally, and physically. Michael’s story should never be repeated. I am committing my life to caring for Michael and doing everything humanly possible to make sure that this does not happen to another family. The apology that was never given to Michael or his family cannot take the place of the suffering endured.
It is my mission to do whatever it takes to be the voice for those who have none and fight for the care of our veterans.
Peace,
Charity "