4
The Columbia Press
August 21, 2020
Guard members returning from deployment
Oregon National Guard
citizen soldiers from across
the state are returning home
from overseas deployment.
The latest group arrived
in Medford on Tuesday and
included a team of 100 Or-
egonians who had deployed
to Djibouti, Africa, for nine
months. Other units de-
ployed to Jordan, Qatar,
United Arab Emirates, Dji-
bouti and Kosovo.
The mobilizations of the
41st Infantry Brigade Combat
Team are part of the second
largest mobilization of Ore-
gon troops since World War
II.
The last mobilization of
Oregonians this size was in
2009-10.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley,
D-Ore., along with Forest
Grove Mayor Peter B. Truax,
greeted the troops Wednesday
as they arrived in Portland.
The McGowan
triplets, L-R,
Sgt. Ian Mc-
Gowan, Spc.
Aiden McGow-
en and Rand
McGowan pose
for a selfie with
their mother,
Stephanie
Salas, after
returning from
Africa.
John Hughel,
Oregon Military
Department
“On behalf of all Orego-
nians, I thank the members
of the Oregon Army Nation-
al Guard for their service,
commitment and sacrifice,”
Merkley said. “The support
they provide allows the rest
of us to live in a safer, more
secure country. I know the
loved ones of our brave ser-
vice members will be over-
joyed to have them home.”
Oregon
National
Guard
members will arrive home
throughout the month of Au-
gust.
The final group of sol-
diers from the 41st, who
are in Kosovo, are expect-
ed to return shortly before
Christmas. Each group goes
through a two-week quaran-
tine at a demobilization site
in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Airport: Manager replacement must wait
Continued from Page 1
comes down to dollars,” said
Will Isom, the Port of Asto-
ria’s executive director.
Kobes has agreed to stay on
for a few more months. On
Tuesday, port commissioners
approved extending his con-
tract through Dec. 1.
After that, Kobes could be
retained as a consultant one
or two days a week for up to a
year, Isom said. Duties such
as billing and bookkeeping
would move to the main of-
fice.
“Because of Gary’s exper-
tise, the airport is probably
the area of the port I’ve spent
the least amount of time on,”
said Isom, who became ex-
ecutive director in Decem-
ber. “From our side, over the
last few years, we’ve really
streamlined and digitized
a lot of the processes we do
here at the port, and the air-
port has been left out of that.”
Commissioners
James
Campbell and Robert Stevens
both wanted to begin search- apron, establishment of the
ing for Kobes’ replacement first business in the industri-
immediately.
al park, and facilitating the
“Twelve to 18 months with- Federal Aviation Administra-
out an airport man-
tion grants the port
ager is too much,”
recently received,
Stevens said.
Isom said.
“I think at this
Also on Tuesday,
period in time we
Isom announced the
need to start look-
promotion of port
ing for someone
Operations Manag-
who knows the
er Matt McGrath to
ropes,” Campbell
assistant executive
said. “We need to
director.
make sure we don’t
McGrath
was
Isom
let this thing fall
hired by the port in
back into the gutter where it 2014, only to resign five years
was before.”
later after calling then-Ex-
Development of the indus- ecutive Director Jim Knight
trial park is vital to the port’s incompetent, dishonest and
future stability, he added.
incapable of managing the
“Stay on top of it, Campbell agency. When Knight left in
said. “Once you get one thing December, McGrath was re-
in there, I think it will attract hired to his former post.
another and another and an-
The promotion, effective
other.”
immediately, reflects the in-
It makes more sense to keep creasing role McGrath has
Kobes on in an interim basis taken on, Isom said. No pay
to complete projects, such raise accompanies the new ti-
as renovation of the runway tle, however.