August 26, 2008 - Colleagues and local officials say they are confident that state Rep. Scott Perry, R-92, can serve his country in Iraq while continuing to serve Pennsylvania as a legislator.

Perry, who represents South Middleton Township and Mt. Holly Springs, is also a lieutenant colonel in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His unit is scheduled to be mobilized to Fort Sill, Okla., in January 2009 and deploy to Iraq next April.

Perry is a battalion commander of the 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, part of the 28th Aviation Brigade.

"I'm responsible for all the soldiers contained there and doing the missions assigned," Perry said, "as well as doing the flying right alongside the other soldiers and crewmen."

Perry does not intend to resign his seat as a state legislator while serving in Iraq. He noted that anyone who has been in the military knows that "you don't make snap judgments based on things you hear."

"At some point they might not need the battalion to go," he reasoned. "It would be somewhat foolish of me to just walk away from the seat."

According to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, because of the Hatch Act, Perry, as a recipient of federal orders, is barred from involvement in any partisan activity. He will not be able to cast votes on any legislation while in Iraq. His staff will be handling the day-to-day operations while he is away.

"It's going to have an effect," Perry said. "We plan on bolstering the office staff to be able to take on the additional workload in my absence in the period of time."

Perry isn't the first elected official to find himself in this situation.

U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-11, of the Scranton area is having his congressional duties curtailed by the Hatch Act. Carney is a commander in the Navy Reserves and recently reported for active duty at Langley Air Force base in Virginia.

State Rep. Will Gabig, R-199, backs Perry's decision to maintain his dual service roles.

"That's a major part of our military and they all have civilian occupations and civilian jobs," Gabig said of the National Guard. "When (Perry) campaigned, he told everybody that it was a part of his background and the people who elected him knew that."

Gabig made a simple request of the public.

"I would hope people would keep him (Perry) in their thoughts and prayers, Gabig said.

Perry's deployment to Iraq may last for up to one year.

Tom Faley, a supervisor in South Middleton Township, said he does not anticipate problems with representation of the area while Perry serves in Iraq.

"I'm aware of the situation," Faley said. "I'm very appreciative to his deepest commitment to our country with his military and public servant status. Having served in the Vietnam War as a lieutenant, captain and a major, I am well aware of the sacrifices he will be asked to make in how it affects his personal life.”

He added that Perry will be in a "critical job" and "filling a national need."

He voiced unequivocal support for Perry.

Faley said he anticipated that Perry, "will make provisions during his overseas deployment for municipalities to coordinate with his office in hopes of having our issues resolved by his present staff and it is my understanding that we may be pointed in the direction of other legislators that would consider our issues in their vote.”

He said he is "confident that such an arrangement could be successful."

Township Manager Barbara Wilson deals extensively with Perry's office.

"He has a great staff," Wilson said. "I would think that they would be able to carry on his duties very well. They certainly can't vote for him, but they should be able to carry on what needs to be done.

Wilson said she knew Perry's deployment was a possibility and she wishes "him well and godspeed and hope that he comes back soon."

One possible legislator who may fill in while Perry is in Iraq is Gabig, Faley speculated.

"I personally feel confident that such an arrangement could be successful," Faley said. "Will Gabig is a good example of a state legislator who knows our area and would be able to pick up the slack."

Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver, National Guard spokesman, said although the troops are deploying to Iraq, the exact location will not be made public until the soldiers are on the ground in the war zone.

"Their mission is to operate and maintain rotary wing assets: CH-47 Chinook, the UH-60 Blackhawk and the AH-64 Apache," Cleaver said. "They will have both pilots and maintenance personnel deploying to Iraq."

Sgt. Matthew Jones of the National Guard said about 2,500 soldiers will be involved in the deployment, with about 1,200 of that number coming from Pennsylvania.

"They'll be doing lots of transportation as far as dignitaries, supplies, vehicles, perhaps a little bit of search-and-rescue," Jones said.