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GRIZZLY BEAR COMPLEX FIRES 3RD BATTALION, 116TH CAVALRY REGIMENT
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• Oregon National G uard lends a hand against two-state, 74,000-acrefire Inside
By Dick Mason The Observer
Spc. Michael Garmundson/115thMobile PublicAffairs Detachment
Lt. Col. Brian Dean, right, of Salem, the commander of Eastern Oregon's Army Guard unit, the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, discusses a battle plan for a hasty defense with Maj. J.W. Lundell, of La Grande, at the NationalTraining Center, Fort lrwin, California, last month.
• 3rd Battalion commander takes calculated risk during August training in California By Pat Caldwell ForThe Observer
FORT IRWIN, California — The moment of truth for Lt. Col. Brian Dean appeared inside a cone of darkness on a desolatepiece ofground on the Mojave Desert. The former La Grande resident and commander of Eastern Oregon's largest OregonArmy Guard unit,the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, suddenly faced a dilemma in mid-August. He was hip-deep in one of the first big simulated battle tests at the U.S. Army's National Training Center, a sprawling and desolatestretch ofM ojave Desert. His orders were clear yet, in typical Army
practice, sufficiently open-ended to allow for modification. He faced an array of alternatives and safe choices but in the end he decided to take a risk. That day the 3rd Battalion stood at the point of a massive modern American spearofcombat power as itconducted what is known as a movement to contact. In essence, Dean's Cavalry battalionconsisting of Army Guard units from across Oregon — was to move out over the desert until it ran into the fictional enemy.The opposing forceor OPFOR in this case was members of the U.S. Army's 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, an elite unit designed to test other Army and Guard combat outfits to the breaking
point. In the scenario, the 500-plus members ofthe 3rd Battalion were ordered to start from a wadi complex — a dry, desert ravine — and move until it met the enemy. The operation was to be the first major test of the battalion. As the lead element of Idaho's 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, Dean said he understood that how the battalion performed in the test would set the tone for the next 12 days on the desert. Suddenly a lot was at stake for the part-time citizen-soldiers from Eastern Oregon. Dean sized up the landscape and said he didn't like what he saw. SeeDean / Page 5A
Aided by rain and the Oregon NationalGuard, firefi ghtersmade headway against the 74,496-acre Grizzly Bear Complex fires in Northeast Oregon and Southeast Washington on Tuesday. The fires are now 23 percent contained, up from 20 percent on Monday. 'The weather was in our favor. It was hot and dry but that was negated by the precipitation we received," said Tom Lavagnino, a public information officer for the Grizzly Bear Complex fires. A totalof1,056 people are now assigned to the fires, including 305 from the National Guard, at least 155 of which are from the Oregon National Guard. The soldiers did mopup work,freeing firefighters to take on other tasks. SeeFires / Page 5A
The news continues to get better on the Eagle Complex fires front Firefighters have made so much progress in recent days that it was announced Tuesday by the WallowaWhitman National Forest that the closure area in the vicinity of the fires is being reduced. Page 2A
Plans made for new IC
Samaliongerforms classrooms wellin California • Eastern Oregon Guard unit overcomes rough conditions to excel at training By Pat Caldwell
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ForThe Observer
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Maj. W. Chris Clyna/115thMobile PublicAffairs Detachment
Oregon Army National Guardsmen from Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment deploy dismounted infantry into restrictive terrain during a battle simulation exercise at the NationalTraining Center.
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WE A T H E R
FORT IRWIN, CaliforniaEastern Oregon's largest Army Guard formation fi nished up a historic deployment last week at one of the U.S. Army's toughest training areas, concluding the three-week event with a virtuoso performance, according to the commander of the
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unit. Lt. Col. Brian Dean, a La Grande native and resident of Salem, led the 3rd Battalion to the National Training Center situated on the Mojave Desert and said his outfit secured success. "I believe the battalion performed very well," he said. SeeGuard / Page 5A
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The Observer
The future appearance of Island City Elementary School is coming into sharper focus. Plans for the siting of seven new classrooms at the school have been released by the school district. The classrooms will be built in 2016 with funding from a $31.85 million bond for maintenance and capital construction that voters approved in November. SeePlans / Page 5A
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RIDAY IN HEALTH SENIORS GETNEWVISION WITH CATARACTSURGERY
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By Dick Mason
CONTACT US Issue 104 3 sections, 34 pages La Grande, Oregon
Ashower
• Seven classroomsWhat's the plan will be added School
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district plans call for three kindergarten classrooms to be built on
the west side of the school and four for students in grades 1-5 to be built along the south side of the school.
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Meet Dr. Adrian Davis. An expert in orthopedic surgery. And sporh medicine. •000
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