Oregon Army National Guard deploy to hospitals statewide: ‘It’s all about keeping people safe’

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About 260 soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard gathered at the Medford Armory Friday to hear details of their latest deployment: To local hospitals, understaffed and overwhelmed by a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the delta variant.

The men and women, mostly from the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry, will serve six weeks, starting Monday. They will perform non-medical work such as being a uniformed presence in anxiety-filled waiting rooms in their communities, including at Asante hospitals in Medford, Ashland and Grants Pass as well as Providence Medical Center Medford and CHI Mercy Health in Roseburg.

For a century, 1-186 combat infantry soldiers of Southern Oregon have been sent to fight wars overseas and wildfires on the West Coast. They have helped Americans recover from devastating floods and hurricanes.

This is the second time, the group, known as the Guardians of the Western Gate, has been mobilized to help their local medical teams battle the coronavirus pandemic. They helped people getting vaccinated at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point when walk-in and drive-through clinics were open earlier this year.

Army National Guard soldiers with medical careers will stay on their full-time jobs as will first responders and those qualified for fighting wildfires, said unit commander Anthony Hess, who will lead his company at the Asante hospital in Medford.

“The battalion is engaged in multiple missions and you don’t want to rob Peter to pay Paul,” said Hess, who lives in Medford.