MEDFORD, Ore. (Jan, 11, 2026) — Nearly 200 Oregon Army National Guard soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment were formally welcomed home Jan. 11 during a demobilization ceremony at South Medford High School, marking the end of a nine-month overseas deployment.
The ceremony was presided over by Brig. Gen. Alan Gronewold, Oregon’s adjutant general, who honored the unit’s service in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula as part of the Multinational Force and Observers mission.
“Welcome home,” Gronewold said. “Those two words carry the weight of nearly a year of service, sacrifice, and separation.”
The 205-soldier battalion, designated USBATT 74 during the deployment, served alongside military forces from 14 other nations, supervising the implementation of security provisions of the Egyptian-Israeli Treaty of Peace.
“In a region marked by volatility and tension, you stood watch. You maintained peace. You prevented violations of that historic treaty,” Gronewold said. “You represented not just Oregon, not just the United States, but the cause of peace itself.”
Lt. Col. Joshua Rapp, the battalion commander, said the unit’s mission included providing security for two camps in the Sinai while operating remote observation sites monitoring key routes and airfields between Egypt and Israel.
“We observed military aircraft, vehicles, and equipment to ensure that both countries were abiding by what is directed in the peace treaty,” Rapp said.
The deployment unfolded during a period of heightened regional tensions, including a three-month lockdown when MFO bases were identified as potential targets.
“There was about a 48 to 72-hour period where we were in full combat equipment for 24 hours a day, other than sleeping,” Rapp said. “We had to be inside a hardened building, we had to be in our full kit, even to go eat chow.”
Despite the challenges, Rapp highlighted the unique multinational nature of the mission.
“What I would say the best thing about it was the level of multinational integration and the fact that we were working so closely with all our partners,” he said. “There were 15 nations, including us, that we worked with on a daily basis.”
The battalion worked most closely with forces from Fiji, Colombia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Uruguay and Japan, participating in combined training exercises and sporting tournaments aimed at building international relationships.
The deployment also offered extensive training opportunities, including air insertion training, aeromedical evacuation exercises, live-fire range time and leadership courses, often conducted alongside multinational partners.
“The 1-186th Infantry really went above and beyond to train throughout the whole deployment,” Rapp said.
Command Sgt. Maj. Evan Garner said the battalion returned home stronger as a result of the experience.
“The battalion did come back stronger,” Garner said. “There was a multitude of opportunities for soldiers to train both within our units and battalions and then cross-train between nations. We worked with 15 different national partners over there and spent many, many hours and days learning about what they do and teaching them what we do also, so we have a better knowledge across the board of operations.”
Garner also emphasized the teaching roles soldiers took on during the mission.
“Our soldiers got a chance to improve their abilities as teachers, not just of United States soldiers, but soldiers from different countries and other groups,” he said.
For many service members, the deployment also included rare leisure opportunities. Soldiers became certified scuba divers and participated in organized tours to Egyptian landmarks such as the pyramids, Luxor and Mount Sinai.
“My message to the soldiers and families is first off and most importantly, thank you,” Garner said. “Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your service and thank you for being there for each other. The greatest thing about 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry is that we’re a family, and the family is what makes us able to do this mission.”
As soldiers transition home, Garner stressed the importance of staying connected.
“Be patient. Know that things have changed while we’re gone, and just work together as a team within your family,” he said. “Reach out to your soldiers. Since we were there 24/7 around everybody, I know it becomes more of a challenge once we get home, but reach out. It could be a call, it could be a text, a stop by—all of that matters and just shows that we continue to care and be there for our buddies.”
The battalion was mobilized Oct. 20, 2024, during a ceremony in Ashland and returned to Oregon on Oct. 3, 2025. About 150 soldiers returned to Medford, while roughly 50 arrived in Portland.
While most soldiers were from the Southern Oregon-based 1-186th Infantry Regiment, the deployment also included National Guard members from the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment and other Guard units from multiple states filling specialized roles.
“This deployment to Egypt adds another distinguished chapter to that legacy—one that future generations of Oregon Guardsmen will look to with pride,” Gronewold said.
The 1-186th Infantry Regiment has previously mobilized for security during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., Oregon’s COVID-19 response, and overseas missions in the Horn of Africa from 2019 to 2020, Afghanistan from 2014 to 2015, and Iraq from 2009 to 2010.
Gronewold concluded the ceremony by recognizing the families who supported the soldiers during the deployment.
“To the spouses, parents, children, and loved ones who held down the home front while these Soldiers served overseas—your strength and resilience made this mission possible,” he said. “Thank you for your service to Oregon and to our nation.”
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