photo by Jon Stinnett SFC Blake Moser, Readiness NCO for HHC / 2-162 IN in Cottage Grove.

Sergeant First Class Blake Moser may be better at getting ready than anyone else in Cottage Grove.

Moser serves as Readiness NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) for Headquarters Headquarters Company 2-162 (HHC / 2-162 IN) of the Oregon National Guard, which drills about half of its 200-plus soldiers in the Cottage Grove Armory. His job — ensure that the soldiers under his charge are ready to go to war. But the Armory is in a state of flux beyond its usual operations; in fact, by this time next year, there will be no soldiers in the old building.

Moser and HHC / 2-162 IN are preparing for a redeployment to Iraq scheduled for May of 2009, but before they go, they also must relocate to the new Lane County Armed Forces Reserve Center Complex in Springfield, a move that could happen as early as Jan. 1.

On a typical afternoon, Moser and about six other National Guardsmen staff the Armory, each attempting to be the first to answer the phone while they deal with the paperwork required to send soldiers to war. Today, Moser is alone in the building and relaxed, though he’s stoked about the Metallica tickets in his uniform pocket (Metallica donated 700 tickets for Saturday’s Portland show to the Oregon National Guard.)

“We’re a reserve unit, so the guys only come here one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer for drill,” Moser said. “During the week there are people here to do all the paperwork, maintain the equipment and baby-sit the guns. The paperwork is mainly life insurance and whatnot, documentation of training and making sure everybody’s doing what’s involved with our current war, making sure families will be taken care of while we’re gone.”

Infantry soldiers preparing for war, Moser said, first learn individual tasks such as first aid and marksmanship skills. They then join members of larger units for deployment.

“You make sure you know how to work as an individual,” he said, “and then you start to work together as bigger and bigger teams. Most guys who have been around a while, they get a sense of being prepared to do what they’ve got to do. Everybody’s got to know their job and the job of their boss and their brothers.”

Unlike the Army, of which the National Guard is a part, Moser said deep brotherhood develops over time between Guardsmen because they come from the same backgrounds:

“That’s the cool thing about the National Guard. We all live here. It’s you and me and we’re from the same town and we’re going off to war together, and we’ve known each other our whole lives.”

Moser grew up in Ashland and currently lives in Cottage Grove, though these days he’s searching for an apartment in Springfield to be close to work.

Moser explained that about half the soldiers in 2-162 will be re-deploying to Iraq in May. Those who will be going for the first time are new additions to the unit. Many of the soldiers at the Armory sport a green patch with a horse’s head insignia and black slash — a combat patch. And make no mistake — they earned that patch. The soldiers who returned from 2-162’s first mission, a full-spectrum operation in Iraq in 2004-2005, earned nationwide acclaim as the subjects of a book, “The Devil’s Sandbox: With the 2nd Batallion, 162nd Infantry at War in Iraq” by John R. Bruning and, later, the film “This is War,” which was shot by members of the unit. Their hellish, full-spectrum operation began with almost immediate combat in one of the most dangerous parts of Iraq at the time.

The unit’s last operation encompassed over a year in country, but changes in the way the National Guard is deployed have ensured that this tour should be both shorter and less dangerous.

“In the past, you had a year in country, plus readiness and remobilization. Now for the entire reserve unit, the commitment is a year, including train-up, deployment and remobilization. It’s only one year total, so that’s awesome,” Moser said.

When 2-162 does re-deploy, they will be part of a security force, or Sec-For, mission, as opposed to the full-spectrum combat operations they engaged in previously.

“It’s kind of a new thing with the National Guard,” Moser said. “We’re getting more into the security role.”

Often joining Moser are Staff Sergeants Arnie Pooler and Nathan Quatier. Pooler and Quatier, each 26 years of age and from Creswell and Eugene, respectively, also assist with the Soldier Readiness Program (SRP). Each will also be re-deploying to Iraq, and they say they’re ready to go.

“I like being deployed,” Quatier said. “I get antsy being at home. I get to do my job then. This isn’t my job; I’m infantry to the core. Paperwork is frustrating.”

Pooler agreed.

“Life is easier over there,” he said. “You don’t have anything to worry about except staying alive.”

Pooler and Quatier said most of the unit shares their viewpoint.

“There are quite a few people that accept it but don’t want to go,” Quatier said. “But I want to, so there’s no anxiety.”

“I don’t care if I go or not,” Pooler said. “The type of mission it’s going to be, it’ll be boring.”

Moser agreed that most of the soldiers have a positive outlook regarding the future deployment.

“Most of the soldiers joined because they want to do this,” he said. “They want to serve their country and they’re excited to do it. We’ve known about this for a long time, and not one of my soldiers is crying and begging not to go. Everybody understands what their obligation is.”

The future of 2-162 may be mapped out, but the future of the Cottage Grove Armory is anything but certain. The Armory should be offered for sale by the Oregon Military Department. Cottage Grove City Manager Richard Meyers said the City has expressed interest in purchasing the building, but that no answer has been received.

Built in 1931, the Armory replaced its predecessor at a cost of $60,000. Local materials and labor were used. Aside from military use, the Armory has also hosted Christmas concerts, Bohemia Mining Days Queen coronations, countless Memorial Day programs and, for many years, a skating rink.