‘Oath Keepers’ stand guard at Bend military recruiting center

As a result of the shooting in Chattanooga earlier this month, a group of Central Oregon veterans have begun guarding the Armed Forces Recruitment Center in Bend.

They call themselves Oath Keepers, part of a national organization comprised of former military and former first responders.

Members of the Central Oregon chapter are now standing guard outside the region’s recruiting center. They’re calling for workers at this center and those around the country to be armed, or at least better secured.

B.J. Soper, coordinator of the Oath Keepers of Central Oregon, said Monday they will stand guard outside the facility until they feel they no longer need to, or when recruiters are armed.

Their call comes after the killing of four Marines and one sailor at a recruiting station in Chattanooga, Tennessee, earlier this month, at a facility much like the one in Bend and elsewhere in the country.

“This building has one way in and one way out. It’s basically a glass fishbowl for them,” Soper said. “And we just hope to be out here to be a deterrent against anyone that would be willing to harm our soldier.,

Retired Army recruiter Bill Logan, another participant, says recruiters are in an indefensible space.

“If you look at the sign on the door, it’s a no-gun zone. And when you have a no-gun zone, anyone can walk in and shoot them,” Logan said.

Soper said their guard duty is both an act of symbolism and appreciation.

“To show solidarity to our soldiers, to show that we appreciate what you guys to for us,” he said. “You go out on a limb. You go out and volunteer to protect us abroad and at home and this is the least we can do, to return that favor.”

Oregon Military Department public affairs spokesperson Christopher Ingersoll confirmed that the recruitment centers are upgrading security in the wake of the Tennessee attack.

“We take the threat very serious,,” he said. “We have implemented some changes to our security. We are being hush hush about what those changes are, because if everyone knows what our security protocols are, then they’re not secure any more.”

Ingersoll said Adjutant General Maj. Daniel Hokanson is having ongoing talks with Governor Kate Brown. He said groups like Oath Keepers are allowed to stand guard, as long as they follow state laws.

For more information about Oath Keepers of Central Oregon, you can visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OKCentralOregon?fref=ts