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Public Comments - Media

Candidate Evans headed back to Afghanistan
Statesman Journal
October 17, 2006

By Peter Wong

When Election Day rolls around three weeks from today, Oregon Senate candidate Paul Evans will learn his fate from afar: Afghanistan.

Evans, a veteran of the Air Force and Oregon Air National Guard, will be en route to the nation with the 116th Air Control Squadron.

He is scheduled to leave Nov. 5, 10 days ahead of his original deployment date. His mission will last 60 days -- which means he would be back for the opening of the legislative session on Jan. 8 if he is elected Nov. 7 to the Senate District 10 seat.

Evans, 36, is a Democrat who is running against Republican incumbent Jackie Winters of Salem in the district that covers South and West Salem, Monmouth and Independence. He is a former Monmouth mayor and city councilor.

Evans is an air-battle manager who is responsible for command and control of tactical aircraft within a specified theater of war. He oversees surveillance systems and aerial response to threats.

The U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan is called Operation Enduring Freedom, and military activity has stepped up there in recent weeks.

Evans was scheduled to make himself available for interviews this morning.

In a written statement, he said, "When my commander said I was needed, there was no question of whether or not I would go. Duty calls."

He has done similar work in Iraq in 2003 and 2005, Kuwait in 1996 and 2001, and in other areas.

He likely is the nation's only candidate who will be on active duty in the Middle East on Election Day.

State Rep. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, has taken leaves from his second-term campaign for military service.

Boquist is a veteran Army special-operations officer, also with Iraq war service, who remains an Army reservist.

pwong@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6745