Douglas County residents are invited to participate Saturday in a procession of vehicles bringing back Oregon National Guard troops returning to the county from Iraq.
“If we have a 20-mile procession, I would have a big smile on my face,” said National Guard Maj. Darren Hoschouer, a Roseburg resident who is executive officer for the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry, the parent unit for Roseburg's Charlie Company.
The procession will begin from the Medford armory at 1701 S. Pacific Highway. Vehicles will stage there, following the conclusion of the demobilization ceremony a mile away at Spiegelberg Stadium, 815 S. Oakdale Ave., on the campus of South Medford High School.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. and is expected to last an hour.
Scheduled speakers include Gov. Ted Kulongoski; Major Gen. Raymond F. Rees, adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard; and Medford Mayor Gary Wheeler, said Sgt. Eric Rutherford of the Oregon Military Department's Public Affairs Office.
Beginning at 2:30 p.m., the 325 soldiers who spent the last year in Iraq will march from the armory to the stadium, using Stewart and Holly streets.
The procession to Douglas County will travel along Interstate 5 before exiting at the Harvard Avenue interchange. The vehicles are expected to arrive in Roseburg between 6 and 7 p.m.
Roseburg radio station KQEN, AM 1240, will broadcast live from the ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. News director Brian Prawitz will provide updates as the procession heads to Roseburg and will also cover the parade through town.
Earlier Saturday, the soldiers are scheduled to travel from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state to the Medford armory either by plane or by bus, Hoschouer said. He said he expects the journey will be made by plane, but if it's made by bus, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office will escort the troops going south through the county and back north to Roseburg following the demobilization ceremony.
Residents who have family or friends serving in Charlie Company are also invited to visit with the soldiers before the ceremony. They are expected to be at the Medford armory for 90 minutes to two hours before the ceremony.
“We ask that general members of the public not attend that gathering. There will be time after the ceremony to thank those soldiers and to speak with them,” Hoschouer said.
A second group of National Guard soldiers arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord late Thursday morning. They were stuck during a five-day ban on flights due to floating volcanic ash following an eruption in Iceland. Those 40 soldiers, including about 10 from Roseburg, will be welcomed home during a smaller ceremony tentatively scheduled for April 30 in Ashland.
“We will be recognizing those soldiers and their service, too,” Hoschouer said.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 541-957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
Additional Notes:
So you know...
Residents who want to show their support for soldiers from Roseburg's Charlie Company returning from Iraq are invited to line a parade route Saturday as the soldiers are bused through the streets of Roseburg.
The buses are estimated to be arriving in town from 6 to 7 p.m.
As for the parade route, the buses will exit Interstate 5 at Harvard Avenue, head past the Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center and then out onto Garden Valley Boulevard.
From there, the buses will travel west to Stewart Parkway, turn right and then pass Mercy Medical Center on the way to Edenbower Boulevard.
The final leg will take the soldiers along Edenbower to Northeast Stephens Street and then north to the National Guard Armory at 111 General Ave.
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