Oregon National Guard Leader Laments Portland Deployment
EXCLUSIVE: Leaked letter from Guard leader levels with troops on unpopular mission
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SubscribedThe head of the Oregon National Guard today sent a level-headed message to his troops in a letter that I’ve obtained. It could not be more different in tone than the inflammatory language of Trump and Hegseth at their military pep rally today in Quantico.
“I know some of you may have strong feelings about this mission,” Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold’s letter to the 200 Guard members deployed to Portland says.
It is a cautiously worded admonition of President Trump and his decision to activate 200 Guard members for duty in what he called “war ravaged” Portland (lol). A copy of the letter (available below) was provided to me by a National Guard source, who seemed to share the sentiment expressed by his Gronewold.
In many ways, Gronewold’s message echoes what I’ve been hearing from California and DC Guard members about their deployments to Los Angeles and the nation’s capital. They told me that they thought that the urban policing mission was idiotic, even shameful. (Some even questioned their deployment in the military’s own official public media!)
If you’re a member of the National Guard and have any tips about this or any other similar deployment, I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me a text securely via Signal at 202-510-1268.
This appears to be the first time, though, that we have a window into what a general thinks of the deployments.
In his carefully worded letter, Gronewold levels with his troops, acknowledging the awkwardness of a mission, saying:
“I know some of you may have strong feelings about this mission. That’s okay. You are citizens first, but you’re also service members who took an oath to support and defend the Constitution and follow the orders of the President and the Governor. That oath doesn’t come with an asterisk that says, “only when I agree with the mission.”
As Gronewald is explaining here, the Guard troops are no longer under Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s command.
He continues:
“I’ll be honest with you — I know this isn’t easy. Some people in Oregon won’t understand or won’t support this mission. Some might even be hostile about it. But we’ve been through tough situations before. We are professionals who do our duties, regardless of how it’s received.”
Gronewold was appointed 32nd Adjutant General of the Oregon Guard on November 28, 2023. He is a combat veteran who has served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. In his message to the troops when he was appointed, Gronewold said he hoped that the Guard would be able to “to face any challenge that comes our way,” adding that to do so, service members need to “fulfill our duties for the citizens of Oregon.”
Gronewold also has some words of advice, suggesting the troops “be smart on social media,” adding:
“Don’t post about unit movements, mobilization details, or operational information. Please don’t get into political arguments online while wearing the uniform or identifying yourself as a member of the Oregon Guard. Understand you represent something bigger than yourself, and the public is watching. Show them the professionalism I know you’re capable of.”
Contrast that with Hegseth’s belligerent words about social media at Quantico today. Referring to “the behavior of our troops online,” Hegseth admonishes: “Complaining is not worthy of a warrior. It’s cowardice masquerading as conscience, anonymous unit level social media, pages that trash commanders, demoralize troops, and undermine unit cohesion must not be tolerated.”
Gronewold is obviously capable of putting himself into the shoes of those who want nothing to do with politics. Hegseth, on the other hand, wants to use the military as a tool to fight his own crusade. And he wants to crush the troops into submission while he pulls off his Alpha Dog routine in front of the generals and admirals.
Most Americans do not want the military stomping around the streets of our cities. Rather than understanding that the military itself agrees, and that this is fundamental to American military culture and history, the major media too often reflexively turns the dial to 11, warning that Trump’s deployments are some kind of military coup.
The major media did it again with regard to the imposed meeting in Quantico, speculating that the generals were all going to be fired, that they were going to have to bend the knee, that there would be (again) some kind of military coup. People were panicked because of the hysterical reporting, hardly anyone pointing out that it was just a stupid photo op. And as you can see with Hegseth’s and Trump’s remarks, neither really had much to say.
Meanwhile the kinds of things people should actually be worried about are barely getting any coverage, like the presidential directive NSPD-7 activating the vast post-9/11 apparatus of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) to go after “anti-Christian,” “anti-American,” and “anti-capitalism” beliefs as indicators of potential terrorism. This is the real call to arms, directing law enforcement to surveil, detain, and arrest. And unlike the military, restrained as it is by Posse Comitatus, JTTFs can engage in law enforcement directly.
The uniformed military knows better, and not just in “blue” states. It knows: Follow the president’s orders but do so in a way that doesn’t violate the Constitution or the laws of the land. Don’t throw fuel on the fire. Don’t overreact.
“To those mobilizing,” Gronewold says, “Execute your mission with honor. Stay focused. Stay professional and stay safe.”
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On the current moment, the Portland Jobs with Justice Executive Board issues the following statement:
After President Donald Trump publicly ordered National Guard troops to suppress political activity in Portland, Portland Jobs With Justice joined activists from across the city in rallying against state violence at the local ICE facility on the South Waterfront. Although protesters remained nonviolent, federal officers and police in military fatigues physically attacked the crowd, spraying chemical agents directly into the eyes of Portland Jobs With Justice Executive Director Tyler Fellini.
“Our sister organizations, D.C. JwJ and Chicago JwJ were the first to bear the brunt of the federal crackdown and now Portland finds itself in the crosshairs,” says Fellini, who notes that when he saw a member of the Portland Association of Teachers being assaulted he stepped in to support him before being sprayed with pepper spray himself.
Fellini was joined by members and leaders from across Portland Jobs With Justice’s coalition, including major education, healthcare, and public employee unions. This act of violence underscores why Portland Jobs With Justice remains steadfast in rejecting calls to deploy National Guard troops in our city, why we support the City initiating a land use process to reconsider the permit authorizing ICE’s facilities, and why we ultimately demand the abolition of ICE and the violent deportations, detentions, and disappearances it carries out. The use of chemical agents is one more reason why residents—especially those living near the ICE facility—are calling on the city to revoke the permit, given the grave public health risks created by ICE’s presence.
We will continue to stand with unions and community organizations across Portland to build a movement of direct opposition to any federal incursion into our city. We demand that officials hold federal institutions and local police units accountable for their use of force and brutality. Portland Jobs With Justice commits to sponsoring coalition actions aimed at ending ICE arrests and preventing the use of federal military troops in our streets. We believe this is one of the most urgent labor issues of our time, as workers and organizers throughout our community face spurious arrests and violent repression while the Trump administration seeks to use these threats to suppress collective action to build a just and equitable society where workers and communities thrive.
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