December 14, 2021 3:30 a.m.

On Monday, 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.

A release said the Guard members were in the process of demobilizing following the completion of their COVID-19 hospital support mission.

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

The release said this mission deployed more than 1,600 members, the second largest domestic response ever. Only Hurricane Katrina resulted in a larger deployment.