Oregon Guard chaplain retires

SALEM (AP) — Col. Richard Meyers, a longtime chaplain of the Oregon National Guard, has retired after his two most difficult years of duty.

Meyers was supposed to retire when he turned 60, but after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and other issues facing the Guard, his mandated retirement was extended two years.

"It has been the difference between childhood and adulthood," he told the Statesman Journal newspaper. "We were putting out forest fires and responding to floods. Now, there is a level of seriousness that changed this place. Where there used to be humor there isn't anymore."

Constant deployments of soldiers, care for their family members back home and the usual business of the National Guard have transformed the job from "one weekend a month, two-weeks a year," to a round-the-clock vigil for Meyers.

His toughest duty, one he has performed several times in the past year, is to be there when National Guard families learn that their soldier won't be coming home. Nine Oregon National Guard soldiers have died while serving in Iraq.

"You get through the first one reluctantly," he said. "And then a certain level of depression goes along with it."

The home notifications are obviously difficult for everyone involved.

"Most know instantly when they see us, and their reactions are varied," he said. "They are very upset, and angry, but they respect their son's or daughter's choice to be where they were."

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