PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 27, 2020
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Keizer vet found new battlefi eld at home
By LAUREN MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
During the recession in 2008, 18-year-old
RJ Navarro found himself short on hours, cash
and options. He found relief in the National
Guard.
After scoring high on his Armed Services
Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and his
physical he went into the military to become
a mechanic.
“I worked on Humvees [and] anything with
wheels pretty much,” Navarro said.
Navarro said basic training was the most in-
tense experience he had at the time.
“They break you down mentally,” Navarro
said, though he added that they take more pre-
cautions during training now.
After basic training, Navarro came home but
still couldn’t fi nd a job. The mechanic training
he received in the military wasn’t recognized
by the civilian work force.
“Local laws have changed since then, that
make it easier to get a job,” Navarro said.
Once again, Navarro found himself running because in the military they tell you when to
out of time and options to make ends meet. sleep and when to wake up,” Navarro said.
Navarro spent time in and out of prison for
When the National Guard sent troops to Iraq,
he volunteered to go. He was one of the 2,500 petty crime before fi nding a housing program
National Guard members in the 41st brigade for students, Student Opportunity for Achiev-
ing Results (SOAR).
that was deployed in 2009.
Navarro went to college for business
Before deploying Navarro got married.
management and was hired on as a vet-
Because of security concerns, there were
erans representative at Chemeketa Com-
a lot of “off-limits” topics that Navarro
munity College where he organized the
and his wife could not talk about.
Chemeketa Veterans Youth Challenge.
“I think that was a real stressor on
“A bunch of Chemeketa veterans
our relationship to the point that it
got together and we taught the youth
kind of started to fall apart and we,
the benefi ts of pursuing a higher edu-
unfortunately, became a statistic,”
cation,” he said.
Navarro said.
After leaving Chemeketa, he con-
At the time of his deployment 50
tinued the program under the name
percent of troops were expected to
Oregon Veterans Youth Challenge.
come back divorced.
“There’s a lot of people that have this
During Navarro’s deployment,
stigma about criminal history,” Navarro
he doubled as a mechanic and a
said. He said being addicted to drugs at
gunner. Though the military
one point in your life does not make you
prepared him throughly for go-
a bad person forever.
ing over seas, they did not pre-
“I think most people want to re-
pare him for coming home.
cover, just give them the opportu-
At home, Navarro entered
three new battles with drugs, al- A Mile in their Boots nity,” he said.
Navarro is currently working for
cohol and homelessness. He got is a Keizertimes series
focusing on the
a non-profi t in Salem that trains vet-
arrested for having a half ounce
lives of veterans and
erans to be peer support specialists.
of marijuana, which was illegal
active duty military
“That’s kind of where my story is,
at the time, and was in prison for
personnel.
or at least where it’s paused,” he said.
two years.
Navarro hopes to continue the
For him, transitioning from the
military to prison was easier than transitioning next chapter of his story as the representative
of Oregon House District 25. His goal is to
to civilian life.
“It wasn’t really that hard of a transition advocate for veterans within the Legislature.
Navarro
a
mile
in
ir
e
h
boots
t
Elder Law & Estate Planning
Wills & Trusts • Probate • Guardianship • Conservatorship
Asset Protection • Medical Directives • Veterans Aid & Attendance
Power of Attorney • Advance Directive • Medicaid
He said
veterans in
Oregon uti-
lize
food
stamps at a
higher rate
than in other
states. Ore-
gon also has
the highest
rate of veter-
ans who die
by suicide.
The one
thing
that
Navarro
wishes civilians would understand is that ev-
eryone deals with trauma differently. In the
past, he dealt with his trauma by using drugs.
Now, he spends time in nature by hiking or
gardening.
“We have six to eight months until the 41st
Brigade comes back ... and I think that we
need to address these issues beforehand so they
don’t fall through the cracks,” Navarro said.
?
t
s
e
is
t
u
c
e
h
t
how a
bout
the fun
niest?
Keizertimes,
in partnership with
Capitol Auto Group, will publish this
special photo section in April, filled
with your pets.
photo contest
presented
by
Member National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
694 High St NE, Salem
503.371.9636
www.mcginty-belcher.com
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The World Health Organization is advis-
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are no “reports of any negative effects of ibu-
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symptoms.
Those susceptible to previously known
side effects should use caution. Health offi cials
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t
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Phone & Video Conferences Available
Ibuprofen use is
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1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd place prizes will be
awarded for both cutest pet photo
and funniest pet photo.
SUBMIT BY APRIL 30
email: kt@keizertimes.com
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