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Oregon general’s testimony that National Guard troops ‘will be protecting any protesters’ gains traction online
Oregon Live ^ | 10/09/2025 | Zane Sparling

Posted on 10/10/2025 8:19:50 AM PDT by DFG

A nine-day-old snippet of testimony in front of Oregon lawmakers is rocketing around social media as Portland awaits word from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on President Trump’s troop deployment plans.

Oregon’s top military leader offered some reassuring — or infuriating, depending on one’s political perspective — comments about the role of National Guard soldiers during a proposed federal troop deployment to Portland.

Speaking before a state Senate subcommittee, Brigadier General Alan R. Gronewold told legislators that before deployment, the two companies of soldiers would be trained in “protective crowd control.” That training is now up in the air as Gov. Tina Kotek on Tuesday ordered troops to go home after a federal judge ruled over the weekend that Trump had no authority to call them up.

Gronewold said Guard soldiers serve two purposes: “One, to defend America, and two, to protect Oregonians. And so by serving in this mission, they will be protecting any protesters at the ICE facility.”

The general’s comments Sept. 30 resurfaced online this week and drew both praise and scrutiny in equal measure. It’s an open question whether soldiers from the guard — from Oregon or any other state — will actually deploy outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in South Portland.

A federal judge paused President Donald Trump’s mobilization on Saturday, and expanded her order Sunday to block units of the guard from any state after Trump said he would muster troops from California and Texas.

The administration has now appealed the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has set a hearing on the matter for Thursday. There’s no definite timeline for the appellate court to issue a ruling.

Gronewold, for his part, noted that the president’s federalization meant the soldiers would be taken out of his chain of command and placed under the control of the U.S. Northern Command.

He said the meaning of Trump’s social media post authorizing “full force” by the soldiers was unclear, as the phrase is “not a doctrinal term that the Army uses.”

Gronewold closed out his remarks by asking lawmakers to spread a message about the difference between local troops and federal law enforcement agents.

“We’re the home team, and our job is to protect and serve Oregonians, and we follow lawful orders, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said. “Please treat them with dignity and respect.”

Gronewold echoed that sentiment in a Sept. 29 letter to troops.

“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,” Gronewold wrote. “That oath doesn’t come with an asterisk that says, ‘Only when I agree with the mission.’”


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: alangronewold; arresttinakotek; tinakotek

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1 posted on 10/10/2025 8:19:50 AM PDT by DFG
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To: DFG

Protecting them from who?

PROTECTING THEM FROM WHO???


2 posted on 10/10/2025 8:22:00 AM PDT by Fido969
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To: DFG

Actually the psychology behind this is brilliant! Man must have an education in marketing!


3 posted on 10/10/2025 8:24:45 AM PDT by Openurmind (AI - An Illusion for Aptitude Intrusion to Alter Intellect. )
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To: DFG

He should be fired if he’s suggesting Antifa should be protected while destroying federal property and harming federal workers. He should be charged with sedition


4 posted on 10/10/2025 8:25:02 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
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To: DFG

In this context his statement seems to be saying he will use his local military forces to aid the insurgents against law enforcement conducting arrests.


5 posted on 10/10/2025 8:25:49 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: Openurmind

Do tell....


6 posted on 10/10/2025 8:25:56 AM PDT by Az Joe (Live free or die)
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To: Fido969

This is the twisted logic of a woke retard.

ICE goes to Portland to remove illegal immigrant criminals.
Antifa criminals attack ICE.
National Guard will protect the criminals per this clown.


7 posted on 10/10/2025 8:26:11 AM PDT by MrRelevant
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To: Fido969

“PROTECTING THEM FROM WHO???”

From those of us who might take exception to their behavior?


8 posted on 10/10/2025 8:27:31 AM PDT by JimRed (TERM LIMITS, NOW! Finish the damned WALL! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH! )
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To: DFG

A black weight lifter at the gym was hired by Obama’s protest movement. He was trained to get in people’s face and provoke them into throwing a punch. Then they were to “beat the shit” out of them. They had training classes including lawyers. The lawyers were on site and on standby to bail them out. He said the money was more than he’d ever made and he couldn’t turn it down.


9 posted on 10/10/2025 8:30:06 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (Has anyone seen my tagline? ...I know it was here...)
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To: Az Joe

When you need to sell something unpopular you use psychology to make them think they need and want it.

Marketing psyops 101... What he is doing here is absolutely brilliant marketing. “You need us to protect you from Trump”. lol


10 posted on 10/10/2025 8:35:47 AM PDT by Openurmind (AI - An Illusion for Aptitude Intrusion to Alter Intellect. )
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To: DFG

President Trump issued an Executive Order designating Antifa a domestic terrorist organization. Brigadier Gen Gronewold should be asked if he is aware of this Executive Order and accepts this designation.


11 posted on 10/10/2025 8:37:01 AM PDT by ChessExpert (Infidels of the world unite against the evil that is Islam.)
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To: ansel12

That sounds like Civil War to me


12 posted on 10/10/2025 8:37:29 AM PDT by madison10 (There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of philosophy.)
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To: DFG

“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,” Gronewold wrote. “That oath doesn’t come with an asterisk that says, ‘Only when I agree with the mission.’”

Nothing controversial being said.


13 posted on 10/10/2025 8:39:43 AM PDT by TheDon (Remember the J6 political prisoners! Remember Ashli Babbitt!)
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To: DFG

Note that this traitorous DBag calls his troops the home team — with no mention of local coppers.

Once called up, Federalized, they can only protect Fed facilities and troops. They cannot enforce local laws. So, there is nothing “home” about them. Sure, they cannot just fire into crowds — that is not protection until after the crowd fires into them.

If he stays in command of any troops called up, then state rebellion needs to be called, insurrection. Time for martial law. You will know this is imminent if Fed troops show up in the state capitol.


14 posted on 10/10/2025 8:40:03 AM PDT by bobbo666
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To: MrRelevant

“This is the twisted logic of a woke retard.”

I don’t think you understand what he is actually doing here. They will indeed go and do what Trump needs them to do, but he is using psychology to make the idiots actually WANT them to come do it...


15 posted on 10/10/2025 8:40:10 AM PDT by Openurmind (AI - An Illusion for Aptitude Intrusion to Alter Intellect. )
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To: Jan_Sobieski
He should be fired if he’s suggesting Antifa should be protected while destroying federal property and harming federal workers

Heck, they have the Portland PD for that.

16 posted on 10/10/2025 8:40:39 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.)
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To: JimRed

From themselves. From agents who would rather riot than have peaceful protest. If this General is to be believed, ICE would be free to do its Federal job, while Oregonians may express themselves in protest - and only protest.

It is actually a brilliant understanding of the role of the National Guard. It is also probably why they were NOT allowed in DC by Pelosi during her fake Reichstag Fire.


17 posted on 10/10/2025 8:41:30 AM PDT by Empire_of_Liberty
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To: ansel12

You’re conflating protesting with insurrection, pretty sure he’s not. ;<)


18 posted on 10/10/2025 8:41:33 AM PDT by TheDon (Remember the J6 political prisoners! Remember Ashli Babbitt!)
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To: madison10

“That sounds like Civil War to me”

Yup. I am astonished that we haven’t actually seen him being led away by MP’s to face Court Martial. I don’t know of the equal of this blatant, contemptuous refusal to obey an Order of the Commander in Chief


19 posted on 10/10/2025 8:49:39 AM PDT by JewishRighter (LIBERALISM IS A DEADLY MENTAL DISORDER)
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To: TheDon

The reason the federal law enforcement needs protection is because the insurgents are unlawfully attacking them and building and constructing obstructions to control them and prevent them carrying out their duties, the problem is not peaceful protests, and no peaceful protesters are in need of protection anywhere in America, except perhaps for some non-left protesters who face some of the same type violence the law enforcement in Oregon is facing.


20 posted on 10/10/2025 8:53:30 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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