Governor Kate Brown Visits Oregon National Guard Service Members at Camp Withycombe

Press Release

Today, Governor Kate Brown visited Camp Withycombe in Clackamas County to thank Oregon National Guard service members who have been supporting hospitals during the Delta surge. The Guard members were in the process of demobilizing at Camp Withycombe following the completion of their COVID-19 hospital support mission. The Governor thanked them for their service and wished them happy holidays.

"These past two years have shown the resiliency and dedication of our Oregon National Guard members, their families, and their employers," said Governor Brown. "When Delta surged, the National Guard stepped up, and went into our hospitals and our long-term care facilities when they needed help. And this was after door-to-door winter storm support, wildland firefighting, and deployments both overseas and domestic.

"I cannot overstate how much of a difference this mission has made in keeping Oregonians safe and healthy. This mission has deployed more than 1,600 Oregon National Guard members--that's our second largest domestic response ever (only Hurricane Katrina resulted in a larger deployment). The National Guard has shown Oregonians time and time again that no matter the mission, they are ready and willing to do extraordinary things, and be the heroes we need."

The Governor also joined Adjutant General Michael Stencel in making video calls to Oregon National Guard members who are deployed overseas and to other parts of the country, and who will be away from their families during the holidays. The Governor and The Adjutant General thanked these Guard members for their service and continued dedication.

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