Lt. Col. Joshua Rapp Takes Command of Ashland’s 1st Battalion

ASHLAND, Ore. — Lt. Col. Joshua Rapp has taken command of the Ashland-based 1^st Battalion, 186^th Infantry Regiment.

Proud Record of More than 150 Years service to the State

Headquartered in Ashland, the 1^st Battalion, 186^th Infantry Regiment, has a proud record of more than 150 years of service to Oregon state, including recent global war on terrorism mobilizations and deployments in World War II.

Lt. Col. Rapp, who was promoted from the rank of major at the Ashland Armory Headquarters in January, is a civilian soldier in the National Guard. He has been deployed on several occasions, including to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. His promotion over the weekend was a milestone in his distinguished military career and became all that more meaningful when his wife, Chief Warrant Officer 3, Klare Rapp, and his two daughters affixed his new rank.

Lt. Col. Rapp said in his acceptance speech that his priority was the wellbeing of soldiers and their families. Taking care of one another had to form the foundation of “everything we do.”

1^st Battalion, 186^th Infantry Regiment, Described as the “Guardians” of Oregon

Col. Peter Helzer, Commander of the 41^st Infantry Brigade Combat team, presided over the weekend ceremony. He described the 1^st Battalion, 186^th Infantry Regiment, as the “guardians” and historical unit in Oregon. Col. Helzer praised Lt. Col. Carpenter for his large-scale mobilization preparations during COVID, adding that he looked forward to Lt. Col. Rapp’s leadership and contributions moving into the future, and mobilizing parts of North Africa and the Middle East.

In his reply, Lt. Col. Carpenter said he was proud to lead a unit with such a distinguished legacy of service. Lt. Col. Carpenter, who grew up in Southern Oregon, said apart from its 150n years of service to the state, the unit had also served in recent global war on terrorism deployments, and in the Second World War.

Later this year, Lt. Col. Rapp will lead the Guardians on deployment to the Sinai.

The handing over of command ceremony took place at the weekend when it was announced that former commander, Lt. Col. Jared Carpenter, has been appointed to collaborate with partner nations, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, in a leadership role in the Oregon National Guard State Partnership program.