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CLOUDY Temp: 61 °F Wind: WNW at 5 mph Monday, September 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 25, 2003 Oregon Army National Guard 1st Lt. Mark Tobin shares a moment with his wife, Janine, and their 6-month-old baby, Angus. Tobin is one of 125 citizen soldiers being activated for duty in Iraq. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Deployment blues 1st Lt. Mark Tobin will miss some of his new son’s first year on earth as he joins 124 other local Guardsmen who’ve volunteered for Iraq By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune When Ashland resident Mark Tobin looks down at the innocent face of Angus, he knows his baby boy will change dramatically over the next year. He also knows he won’t be there alongside his wife, Janine, for all those changes, from Angus’ tentative first step to the day he burbles "da-da" for the first time. Tobin, 34, is a first lieutenant with the Oregon Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry headquartered in Ashland. He is one of 125 citizen soldiers with the 1-186th volunteering to augment Northern Oregon’s 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry being activated for duty in Iraq. Advertisement They are scheduled to be activated in November, then train for up to four months at Fort Hood, Texas, before being deployed to Iraq in the spring. Total deployment is expected to be one year with at least six months spent in Iraq, according to Guard officials. All told, about 670 of Oregon’s citizen soldiers are being deployed. "When we’re asking the troops to volunteer for something, it’s hard if the leadership doesn’t also volunteer," Tobin said. "The leadership has volunteered along with the troops." One of those stepping forward is Medford resident 1st Sgt. Randy Mefford, 41. Having served in Iraq as a member of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division during the 1991 Gulf War, Mefford acknowledges he has never been too keen on returning to that country. "I had promised myself I would never go back," he said, although noting he has since returned twice to the Middle East on National Guard missions. "I’m going with some of the best people in the state of Oregon," he said of his fellow soldiers. "That knowledge gives you a lot of trust." The Iraqi-bound volunteers hail from throughout southwestern Oregon. The 1-186th has units based in Medford, Grants Pass, Roseburg and Klamath Falls. Mefford was among the roughly 530 members of the battalion deployed for a six-month peacekeeping mission to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt last year. They returned early this year. He was also among the 140 local soldiers sent for a training exercise near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, early in 2000. He and his wife, Candace, who is the family support coordinator for the Guard unit, have three children at home, including Alexandria, 13, Cynthia, 9, and Cheyenne, 6. "My family is bearing up pretty well — they are starting to get used to this," Mefford said. But he said he plans to spend as much time as possible with family members now in anticipation of the coming separation. Wednesday evening found him at Alexandria’s basketball practice at South Medford High School. Back at battalion headquarters, he is helping prepare fellow soldiers for the mission. "Right now, we’re making sure the soldiers have all their paperwork in order, getting everything ready to go," he said. About a third of those signing up for Iraq served in the Sinai last year, he noted. That includes 1st Lt. Tobin, who made history when he and fiancee Janine Fisher, then a student at Southern Oregon University, became the first couple ever to be married on the South Camp military base in Sinai. Their first anniversary is Sunday. Mefford gave away the bride during the wedding service conducted under crossed rifles. "She knew it was a possibility there was going to be another deployment," Tobin said of Janine. "Of course, it will be hard for her to have me gone, but we’re very stable." Tobin, who spent five years in the Navy before joining the Guard, also has a son, Skylor, 13. "All of us have the normal concerns of going into a combat zone," he said. "But we are going with a group that has been together for a long time. We’ll be going as a company." Judging from the Sinai mission, where the local Guard unit earned high praise, Tobin said he expects the local citizen soldiers to again exceed standards. "We will perform well," he predicted. Several local veterans have applied to join the Guard for the deployment, officials said. Anyone interested should contact local Guard recruiters for further information. No female members of the Guard are being deployed because they are not allowed to serve in an infantry unit in a combat situation. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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