At governor's urging, Guard commander quits.

Byline: David Steves The Register-Guard

SALEM - Despite the state's large number of National Guard troops deployed overseas, Gov. Ted Kulongoski decided it was time for Oregon's top military commander to go.

Maj. Gen. Alexander Burgin was asked to resign, which he did Monday, as the U.S. Army was running a preliminary inquiry to determine whether he had wrongly influenced an investigation into the promotion of a sergeant, The Oregonian newspaper reported Tuesday.

The Kulongoski administration was aware of the preliminary inquiry, as well as two earlier U.S. Army inspector general investigations. The Portland newspaper reported those inquiries were spurred by Guard members' concerns about the nature of the relationship between Burgin, a 57-year-old two-star general, and the sergeant, 34-year-old recruiter Cha Cha Gillett.

However, Kulongoski spokeswoman Mary Ellen Glynn declined to say whether the inquiries into Burgin's actions and relationship with an enlisted subordinate played into the governor's decision to seek his resignation.

"It was time to have some new blood at the Guard," Glynn said. "He'd done a good job, and we need to look for somebody else."

Both Burgin and his interim replacement, Brig. Gen. Raymond Byrne Jr., declined through an Oregon Military Department spokesman to be interviewed.

Burgin and Gillett denied the accusations in interviews Monday with The Oregonian. They said the complaints came from disgruntled Guard members.

"Look, I'm a veteran," Burgin told the paper. "I've been through a lot of wars. Personal attacks don't really bother me, especially when they're unsubstantiated and not true."

The change at the top of the Oregon National Guard comes at a time when it has the largest number of soldiers deployed since World War II. Of the 8,300 members of the Oregon National Guard, about 2,500 will be deployed by Oct. 30, when 700 members of the Cottage Grove based 162nd Infantry of the Second Battalion are to be sent to Fort Hood, Texas. Those soldiers are expected to be dispatched early next year for a one-year deployment to Baghdad.

Kulongoski, who took office in January, told Burgin in March he would not reappoint him as the Oregon National Guard's adjutant general, Glynn said. Burgin served since 1999 in that position. Shortly after that meeting, the U.S. war against Iraq began, prompting Kulongoski to delay Burgin's departure until September, Glynn said.

With continued post-war hostilities in Iraq, it was clear that waiting for the return of most Oregon guardsman before replacing Burgin wasn't an option, Glynn said.

Oregon National Guard spokesman Maj. Arnold V. Strong said Burgin's departure was not expected to contribute to the turbulence for the soldiers serving under his command.

"It very honestly comes at a natural turning point," Strong said.

"What we've all realized is that there's never going to be a good time, because the operational tempo of the Oregon National Guard is going to continue. It's not going to slow down any time soon."

Before his appointment as interim adjutant general, Byrne had commanded the 41st Infantry Brigade at the Tigard Armory.

Earlier in his career, Byrne served at the Cottage Grove Armory as company commander. Prior to that he was a battalion operations officer for the 2nd Battalion of the 162nd Infantry.