Rep. David Myers is headed to Iraq for a yearlong deployment with the U.S. Army Reserves, the McComb lawmaker said Monday.
Myers told the Enterprise-Journal that the military gave him notice of a potential deployment in the form of a “warning order” earlier this month.
“I received orders and I left town this past week,” said Myers, who spoke by phone from a mobilization base. He wouldn’t identify his current location or what unit he would be serving with, citing security concerns.
“I’m still in the United States, I can tell you that,” he said, adding that he could be out of the country as soon as this week.
Myers, 55, has been in the military for 35 years and is a sergeant major.
He’s been a state representative since 1996.
House Speaker Phillip Gunn announced the lawmaker’s pending deployment at the Capitol on Monday, Myers said.
While the deployment will take him away from his family and his responsibilities as an elected official, Myers said he’s ready to fulfill his obligations as an Army reservist.
“This is the other side of what I do,” he said. “I’m OK with it. I tell folks all the time, ‘Freedom is not free. Somebody is on the wall looking out for us 24 hours a day, seven days a week.’ ”
Myers said the news has been tough for his family, but they have been supportive.
“When I got the warning order, I talked to my family about it. They’ve been aware of it for several weeks now,” he said.
Myers’ deployment comes as he awaits a Mississippi Supreme Court decision on an election challenge from his 2016 Democratic primary opponent Tasha Dillon, who contested the results after losing to Myers in a vote of 2,003 to 1,859. Since there was no general election challenger, the primary outcome determined the winner. The Supreme Court heard arguments in December.
“I feel confident that’s going to be a positive result,” he said.
Myers’ deployment comes as U.S. military forces are expected to step up their fight against the Islamic State. Department of Defense officials presented a plan to the White House today that Washington insiders say will mean more direct U.S. military involvement to counter ISIS. President Donald Trump is expected to speak further on the plan in an address to Congress tonight.
“The idea of facing ISIS or any other enemy of the United States doesn’t phase me,” Myers said. “That’s what I do.”
He said he expected a ramp-up in military deployments.
“If a soldier stays in the military the next five years, they’re going to get their chance,” he said.
Myers said this will be his second deployment. His first was during Operation Desert Storm, when he first ran — albeit unsuccessfully — for a seat on the McComb city board.
“The first one, as far as my job, we got as far as southern Iraq, northern Kuwait,” he said. “My first time running for public office was during Desert Storm. I wasn’t even here for the election.”
