Sniper Suspect and Moose in Oregon Guard
John Allen Muhammad, the former soldier arrested Thursday in connection with the serial sniper attacks around Washington, D.C., trained in the Oregon National Guard near Portland International Airport during the same time as former Portland Police Chief Charles Moose served at the airport with the Air National Guard.
Staff Sgt. Leisha Leyson of the Guard’s 41st Brigade trained with Muhammad at the 141st Battalion, or Bravo Company. She remembers him as a serious, “military-minded” loner who proved himself an “exceptional shot” with an M-16.
“He didn’t have a lot of friends in the unit, and he wasn’t there very long,” Leyson said.
Muhammad was stationed at the Fort Lewis Army base south of Tacoma before joining the Oregon National Guard. His service lasted from 1985 to 1994. He appears to have served with the Oregon Guard without ever residing in Oregon.
A public records search showed an address for Muhammad in Lakewood, Wash., in May 1994 and another in Tacoma in June 1994.
The exact dates he served aren't specifically stated (bad reporting), but from the last paragraph quoted above, it would appear to be in 1994.