Senate Candidate Paul Evans Ships Out to Middle East Before Election Day

Evans, a Democrat, is likely to be the only U.S. candidate running for office who will be on active duty in the Middle East on election day.

Paul Evans on a previous combat deployment Photo: paulevans2006.com

(MONMOUTH) - Senate Candidate Paul Evans is already engaged in a heated election battle, and now he is preparing to ship off to war.

Evans will be deployed November 5th, two days before he will know whether or not he gets elected to the Oregon Legislature. The deployment was originally scheduled for November 15th.

The candidate for the Oregon Senate announced that he will accompany the 116th Air Control Squadron to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Evans was requested for this 60-day mission because of his experience as an air battle commander. As one of the more battle-tested members of the unit, his experience is of critical importance in an area where combat is intensifying. This will be his eighth time in a combat zone. He will return home in early January in time to serve in the State Senate, if elected.

"I'm going now because I wanted to help out my unit and keep soldiers safe during the critical period during the holidays. I'm grateful to a supportive wife and family who understand – and to the outpouring of support and encouragement from the community. When my commander said I was needed, there was no question of whether or not I would go. Duty calls," said Evans.

Major Evans is an air battle manager. He is responsible for command and control of tactical aircraft within a specified theater of operations. A certified mission crew commander (MCC), Evans is responsible for surveillance systems and tactical control of combat aircraft as well as time critical air response to regional threats. He has performed these duties most recently in Iraq (2003 and 2005) as well as in Kuwait (1996, 2001) and other parts of the world..

Brigadier General Mike Caldwell, Deputy Director of the Oregon National Guard, said, "Major Evans has unique skills that are critical to the safety of our troops. I'm grateful that he is willing to ship out to Afghanistan, even in the last few days of a close campaign. He understands the true meaning of service. And as it stands right now, we see no reason why Paul cannot get back in time to serve in the Oregon Legislature as a civilian leader."

Evans, a Democrat, is likely to be the only U.S. candidate running for office who will be on active duty in the Middle East on election day. He is in a hotly contested battle for Oregon's 10 th Senate District, against Republican Jackie Winters.

"The most important thing Oregonians and all Americans can do is to exercise their right to vote and appreciate all of the other unique freedoms we have. By voting, we have the power to make our system better," said Evans.

Salem-News.com's Tim King will be heading to Afghanistan at the end of this month, just a few days before Paul Evans deploys. Tim will intersect with Paul Evans while in country and bring you the latest information on this Senate Candidate's time at war.

More information about Paul and his campaign is available at paulevans2006.com