Oregon National Guard hosts labor summit in Pendleton with local employers

PENDLETON — Looking through night vision goggles and flying in a Chinook helicopter were just a few activities for local labor industry employers during the June 13 Oregon National Guard Labor Summit 2025.

The Guard held the event at its facility at the airport in Pendleton to strengthen relationships with employers. Around 60 local elected officials, civic leaders and selected businessmen and women as well as military personnel were on hand.

Brig. Gen. Alan Gronewold, who leads Oregon’s National Guard, explained the mission of the event and set the tone for the day during the opening remarks.

“One of our key organizational values in the Oregon National Guard is being connected,” he said. “Being connected to each other, to our people, and being connected to our communities.”

Col. Russell Gibson followed with a closer look at the ORNG and pointed out how military skills, such as resilience, leadership, grit and responsibility are valuable to employers. Jack Johnson and James Cunningham, both Oregon ESGR chairmen and National Guard veterans, described their organization and expressed to employers the significance of supporting their Guard employees.

They then honored three local employers for such efforts with Seven Seals awards: Pendleton Economic Development and Airport Director Steve Christman, the Oregon Unmanned Air System Accelerator, which operates at the airport in Pendleton. and Eastern Oregon Veterans of La Grande.

The remainder of the summit consisted of rotating through stations showcasing military equipment and technology, including combat medical equipment and weapons that attendees could handle. Along with becoming more familiar with the ORNG and how it operates, Lt. Col. Charles Patzner explained that displaying equipment provides an insight into what the Guard offers local communities and employers.

Groups also could inspect several Chinook helicopters and a structural repair shop. National Guard members exhibited helicopter gear helmets and vests before dimming the lights and passing around night vision goggles.

At the Oregon Unmanned Aircraft System Accelerator site, UAS Range Manager Darryl Abling provided information about drone technology and the Pendleton facility’s rapid growth. With 14,000 square miles of air space and more than 50 testing environments, Abling claimed Pendleton is one of the nation’s premier testing facilities. Adding to this, Gronewold pointed out that Pendleton is the only testing range the Federal Aviation Administration has approved in Oregon. Attendees also received a tour through the innovative office spaces and tinker stations as well as the adjacent 33,000-foot B7 hanger, where there were several drone demonstrations.

The high point of the summit came when attendees could take a 45-minute flight in one of the Chinooks over the area.

Along with several other National Guard members, Gronewold voiced his satisfaction with this event and his optimism for future ORNG-employer collaboration efforts.

“We look to continue to grow our connection with our communities in every community that we’re in,” he said. “That’s what makes the Oregon National Guard the service of choice.”