Photo By Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell | Maj. Seth Musgrove, seen here as Captain training to deploy to Iraq in 2010, recently...... read more read more
LA GRANDE, Ore. – When Maj. Seth Musgrove was a young man, he often dropped by his father’s office at the local armory.
Back then, Musgrove’s father worked as a recruiter for Eastern Oregon’s 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, Oregon Army National Guard.
Fast-forward more than a decade and Musgrove is back at the La Grande Armory, and coincidently, occupies in his father’s old office.
“I can remember sitting here as a kid,” Musgrove said.
Musgrove, who is preparing to step into the executive officer slot of the 3rd Battalion, is no stranger to the unit. In fact, it is safe to say he grew up in the 3rd Battalion.
His father was a longtime member of the unit and retired as a master sergeant. Musgrove joined the battalion, became an officer and, within a short time, was deployed to Iraq on the battalion’s first tour of duty.
Musgrove endured two IED strikes during his first tour in Iraq, then returned home and became a company commander of the 3rd Battalion’s Charlie Company and led it on a second stint in Iraq in 2010.
In 2013, Musgrove was transferred from the 3rd Battalion to the Oregon Army National Guard’s 82nd Troop Brigade Command in Clackamas. He stepped into the position of logistics officer for the brigade and said he wasn’t sure when, or if, he would return to the 3rd Battalion. Two years later, he is back home in La Grande, and he said he couldn’t be happier.
“It’s great. I grew up in the battalion, and I love being in Eastern Oregon, living in close-knit communities,” he said.
Musgrove said he did not spend a lot of time wondering if he would return to the 3rd Battalion after he departed in 2013. Instead, he said he concentrated on his new job
“My focus at the time when I moved was to learn my job and be as good as I could be,” he said.
Musgrove conceded he will spent some time getting back into the swing of things with the battalion.
“The biggest challenge will be reintegrating with the battalion after being gone so long. There have been some changes in the battalion, so I will focus on getting back into the unit’s rhythm, familiarizing myself with it,” he said.
Musgrove said the 3rd Battalion isn’t an ordinary command slot. The battalion is the only heavy armor force in the Oregon Army Guard and, over time, constructed a prominent combat record during two tours of combat in Iraq. A strong tradition of the U.S. cavalry is interwoven into the battalion and excellence is considered to be routine. At the same time, Musgrove said, the 3rd Battalion furnishes local communities with a ready-force in the case of an emergency.
“I think the 3rd Battalion has a very challenging and unique mission,” he said.
Musgrove said he is pleased he was selected to return to the 3rd Battalion and is eager to learn his new job.
“I am excited about it. I like working with different people. Each leader is different and have their own style but I love to learn,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2015 17:04 |
| Story ID: | 177660 |
| Location: | LA GRANDE, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 370 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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