>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

COMING HOME: Soldiers of the Third Battalion, 116th Armored Cavalry, shown here at their mobilization ceremony last year, are returning home to Northeast Oregon after serving in Iraq. (Observer file photo).

Bill Rautenstrauch

The Observer

Soldiers of the Third Battalion, 116th Armored Cavalry have faced their war.

Now, it's time to face the peace — and that includes going back to work at jobs they left behind more than a year ago when they activated for duty in Iraq.

Jack Johnson, chairman of Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve Area 6, said he expects local National Guard soldiers coming off deployment will make a smooth transition to their civilian jobs.

Some of the problems seen in larger population centers likely won't arise in Northeast Oregon, he said.

"I think Eastern Oregon soldiers are different, primarily in their work ethic. I believe they'll come back ready to work and we won't see problems that have been seen in some other areas," he said.

ESGR, a Department of Defense organization, was established in 1972.

Its mission is to promote understanding and cooperation between reserve component members and their employers. It also helps resolve conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment.

"Our concern is to set up proper relations between soldiers and employers," Johnson said.

Where conflicts do arise, the organization's guiding light is the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act.

In general, the act prohibits discrimination against persons because of their service in the Armed Forces Reserve, the National Guard and other uniformed services.

It provides that qualified service members can reclaim their civilian employment after being absent because of military service or training.

Those eligible are entitled for reemployment to the job and benefits they would have attained if they had not been absent due to military service.

As Area 6 chairman, Johnson has seen the role of ESGR change and grow since the start of the global war on terror.

"Before, we dealt mostly with National Guard soldiers who have gone away for a couple of weeks of training in the summer," he said. "But now we're dealing with the fact that many reserve units have been mobilized. We're going in a little different direction."

Soldier-employees have certain obligations under the act, including one that requires them to report for work or apply for re-employment in a timely manner.

In most cases, deactivating soldiers act on their own to contact their employers almost immediately.

But at the same time, the rules say they that if they have been deployed 180 days or longer, they have 90 days to report back to their civilian jobs.

Johnson said that in the majority of cases, the local troops will be back on the job much sooner.

"We don't expect they will wait very long," Johnson said. "Most will call their employers as soon as they hit the ground."

If conflicts or questions about the USERA do arise, either for an employer or employee, often they can be worked out without going through a formal process. A good starting point is a call to the local armory, said Johnson.

"I can say the battalion commander is very concerned," he said.

Though convinced that few conflicts will arise, Johnson said employers should join the community at large in exercising patience and understanding where the returning troops are

concerned.

"You've got to remember what these people have gone through," he said.

He drew a hypothetical picture of a young Army officer returning to a civilian job as a janitor.

"He's been leading men and making life and death decisions for the last year, and it might be hard for him to adjust to a the idea of going back to sweeping floors," he said.

Johnson said he thinks many of the returning soldiers will make significant contributions to the community's development.

"It's going to happen. They'll be the future leaders of our communities and make great contributions. But we need to understand what they are going through now," Johnson said.