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Public Comments - Media
Monday Profile: Paul Evans
Oregonian
January 31, 2005Guard duty puts a budding political life on hold
JEFF KOSSEFF
WASHINGTON -- Life seemed promising for Monmouth Mayor Paul Evans in early September 2001.
He was considering a run for state representative. He landed a teaching contract with Western Oregon University. And he was planning a family.
But soon after Sept. 11, he was mobilized by the Oregon Air National Guard and has since spent at least 960 days on active duty. He never ran for the Legislature or taught. Military obligations eventually caused him to resign as mayor. And his marriage dissolved.
Since the terrorist attacks, Evans has worked in air control centers in the United States and Iraq. His unique air battle management skills are in high demand, and he has willingly served his country, at a personal cost.
Maj. Paul Evans now helps keep the airspace above the nation's capital free of hijacked planes. He is a supervisor at Bolling Air Force Base's top-secret nerve center, which monitors for airborne weapons and would execute commands to shoot them down. Shortly after remarrying on Feb. 14, Evans is scheduled to head back to Iraq.
Evans' journey from leading Monmouth to protecting Washington is bittersweet. While he has gladly served his country for more than three years with little break, his military duties have kept him from his community obligations at home: mayor, volunteer firefighter, college instructor, Sunday school teacher.
Although the battle for homeland security and the war in Iraq have disrupted his life, Evans scoffs at the notion of sacrifice.
"There are people who sacrificed a lot more," said Evans, 34. "The fact of the matter is that when people say war costs, it does. Would I do it again? Probably. Is it sobering to recognize how events can tear apart people's lives? Yeah."
After graduating from Western Oregon University in 1992, Evans knew he wanted a career in public service. During college, he was student body president and served on the Monmouth City Council.
But he also knew that he needed certain life experiences, including military service, to be a leader.
He joined the U.S. Air Force in late 1992 and served for about four years, training and working in air battle management.
He returned to his hometown of Monmouth, population about 8,500. But he realized he missed the military. Evans joined the Oregon Air National Guard, allowing him to continue to serve the nation while pursuing other activities, including a master's degree, teaching college and volunteering as a firefighter and Sunday school teacher.
Old allies in Monmouth politics persuaded him to run against a City Council veteran for mayor. Evans won, becoming the youngest mayor in the state at age 28.
When Evans was first elected, however, half the City Council was not in his corner. John McArdle, mayor of neighboring Independence, said he brought a much-needed passion to the city government.
"He jolted his community with a dose of the next generation," McArdle said. "He was always dedicated to getting people involved who hadn't been involved in the political process."
His first goal was to help the community envision what it wants to become. Evans held community visioning meetings. Results of the planning included raising funds to plant trees along a road leading into town and building a skate park.
While mayor, Evans fulfilled his Guard obligations and went on a voluntary tour of duty to Kuwait in summer 2001.
In early September 2001, with Evans just back from Kuwait, his future looked bright and stable. Evans and his wife were considering having children.
He was about to begin teaching at Western Oregon. He had discussed a run for the Legislature with then-Gov. John Kitzhaber.
"He struck me as a very thoughtful young man with good values and a real interest in civics," said Kitzhaber, who had employed Evans' mother when he was in the state Senate. "He's got a real open mind. He's interested in solving problems."
On Sept. 11, Evans' plans fell apart.
Deployed within days
Within days, he was deployed to work in U.S. aircraft control centers nationwide. For about a year and a half, he sat in centers in Albuquerque and Salt Lake City. People with his skills were in high demand, given the increased need to monitor the air.
He was a long-distance mayor for about a year, handling much of Monmouth's business by phone. Evans flew home about every three months. But in 2002, he learned that his service would be extended for another year, and he was unsure whether more extensions were to come.
"I didn't feel that in good conscience I could stay mayor," he said.
So in November 2002, with about a month left in his second term, he announced he would step down.
The war also took a toll on his personal life. He rarely had chances to see his wife, and after realizing they had grown apart, they decided to divorce.
The United States, not only concerned about defending its homeland, was embroiled in a war in Iraq, and Evans became part of that fight. His squadron arrived in Kuwait in April 2003. Once in Iraq, they set up an air-control center.
During his 91-day tour in Baghdad, Evans and his crew were assigned to monitor and control the area's airspace.
"Some hours, nothing's going on," Evans said. "Then at three in the morning you can go from zero to hysteria quickly."
Evans is vocal about the long-term commitment the United States has made in Iraq.
"If we're there, which we are, then I pray every night the president will send the number of troops necessary to keep the peace, grow a democracy and fix the bridges and make the water work," Evans said. "I also pray every night that the president and Congress understand this is a 20-, 30- or 40-year commitment we made."
Although Evans is more liberal than other guardsmen, he never lets his politics interfere with his duties, said Maj. Jim Gregory, Evans' superior.
"He's slightly more to the left, and I think he enjoys that," Gregory said. "He looks at it as an opportunity to get a different perspective. Behind closed doors, we can banter with each other. But when the boss says 'go,' we go. He is a patriot's patriot."
No problem volunteering
Evans was demobilized from two years of active duty in September 2003. He had taken a full-time technician job at the Oregon Air National Guard. Because of the short staffing, he was encouraged to help at the U.S. air control centers.
"When a country says we only have 15 of you and we need you," Evans said, "and at the same time, your mayorship has gone away, your teaching job has gone away, your marriage went away -- basically there's not any problem volunteering, so there you go."
In November 2003, Evans spent a month working at the Joint Air Defense Operations Center for the Washington, D.C., area.
Because his work at the center is classified, he can't describe most details of his job. But the essential goal is to keep the airspace clear of weapons such as hijacked planes.
"Basically, it's a hub for what we see," Evans said. "It's also a hub for certain kinds of actions that could take place. There are mechanical as well as nonmechanical tools to determine friend from foe."
In Washington, Evans found not only a challenging job but also a romance on Capitol Hill.
He visited U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., to discuss Iraq. Hooley's district includes Monmouth, so he knew her from his time as mayor. While there, he spoke with Hooley's chief of staff, Joan Mooney.
They hit it off. In late summer 2004, a romance blossomed. Evans and Mooney plan to marry on Feb. 14.
He has been in Washington as a supervisor at the center since September, and he will work there until he leaves for Iraq next month.
"I promised Joan this is the last time I'll raise my hand and say, 'I volunteer,' " Evans said.
Evans said he would like to return to Oregon and resume his public service career.
Marc Miller, a Monmouth councilman, predicts a bright future for Evans.
"The question prominent people in politics ask me is, 'When's Paul Evans coming home?' " Miller said. "I would not be surprised if you saw Paul Evans on the ballot for governor of Oregon."
Jeff Kosseff: 503-294-7605; jeff.kosseff@newhouse.com
