Photo By Maj. Wayne Clyne | Civilian employers and their Oregon National Guard member employees sit aboard a CH-47...... read more read more
Subscribe
GRANTS PASS, Ore. – The battalion commander welcoming employers to the Grants Pass armory July 11 wasn't just speaking on behalf of his Soldiers. He was speaking as an employee himself.
"From the perspective of someone who's done this for 26 years as a traditional Soldier and a civilian employee, I want you to know that support means more to me and to us than you can know," said Lt. Col. Joshua Rapp, commander of 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, who works as a project manager for Knife River in his civilian career. "I couldn't have done it without Knife River, my employer. I probably would have gotten out a long time ago."
Representatives of Knife River were among roughly 20 civilian employers who participated in the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Boss Lift, which paired an armory tour and static displays with a CH-47 Chinook helicopter flight over southern Oregon and Upper Klamath Lake. Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, based in Pendleton, Oregon, provided the aircraft and crew.
The event was hosted by Oregon ESGR's Area Four, which covers southern Oregon from Roseburg to the California border and west to the coast. Rather than filling seats first come, first served, organizers this year invited employers with a track record of supporting their Guard and Reserve employees.
"We went back and looked at our records for the last two and a half years and determined who were distinguished employers," said Richard Thibodo, ESGR Area Four chair. "All of you have either received a Patriot Award or are about to receive one."
Among them was Mercy Flights, the Medford-based ambulance service, which employs several Oregon National Guard members, including Soldiers who recently returned from an overseas deployment with 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment.
"They're leaders in our organization," said Sheila Clough, chief executive officer of Mercy Flights. "They show up. They're committed. Diligence, professionalism. I'll take as many Guardsmen as I can get on our team. They're incredible representatives."
Midway through the flight, the aircraft also hosted a milestone: Capt. Nolan Chandler reenlisted Spc. Daniel Pappalardo, both assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, high above the southern Oregon landscape.
Employers were invited to sign ESGR Statements of Support, pledging their commitment to the service of their Guard and Reserve employees.
"This gives you a little bit of a glimpse into what your employees do," Rapp said. "It's just a small part, but a little glimpse into what they do when they come to training and when called to serve the state and country."
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.22.2026 17:26 |
| Story ID: | 570538 |
| Location: | GRANTS PASS, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Boss Lift gives southern Oregon employers a look at Guard service, by MAJ Wayne Clyne, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
