By Wayne Gates
Brown County Sheriff Gordon Ellis will be heading overseas in early May for a nine month deployment in the middle east.
Ellis serves as a two star, or Major General, in the U.S. Army Reserve and commands the 38th Infantry Division of the Indiana National Guard.
Ellis and the 38th will be part of Operation Spartan Shield. He will be leading approximately 15,000 other military members in the middle east.
“Operation Spartan Shield provides command of U.S. forces in the Arabian Peninsula which includes seven countries. We conduct partnered exercises with Allies to increase operational capacity and conduct operations to deter regional aggression,” said Ellis.
Simply put, the two missions are to get allied countries to take greater responsibility for their security and to deal with any hostile forces in the region.
While Ellis is overseas, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office will be run by Chief Deputy Chris Hodges.
“The Chief Deputy will be acting in my stead while I’m deployed. I should be able to maintain communications with him fairly regularly while deployed so I can stay informed on matters back home,” Ellis said.
The sheriff will not be taking a salary while deployed overseas. Ellis said he has spoken to the Brown County Commissioners about having his salary be used to help operate the sheriff’s office while he is deployed.
“I don’t feel right about taking a salary as the sheriff when I’m not here conducting the business of the job. I have been deployed four times and I have not taken a salary during any of them. I just think it’s the right thing to do,” Ellis said.
He said that he is spending time getting familiar with the job at hand overseas.
“It is a very complex and necessary mission. My focus to be able to gain the knowledge necessary to help make this a successful operation,” Ellis said.
“There are lot of people that rely on your ability to make the right decisions in a timely manner, so I’m feeling a little bit of performance anxiety thinking about the fact that I’m about to be in a dynamic theater of operations leading a large number of soldiers.”
That said, Ellis said he is confident that those under his command will be able to do the job.
“The U.S. Army does a masterful job at training and preparing units to deploy in theater. I have already begun the process of getting ready to go, and I know that the soldiers going with me are going to be ready to do the mission,” Ellis said.
When asked what he would like to say to Brown County citizens, Ellis thanked them for their support.
“The strength that drives all of us who are deployed is the thought of our family members and our communities at home. This is why we go. I appreciate the support and the strength that we draw from the citizens where we live,” he said.
“I’m honored to serve the citizens of the county, but I am also honored to serve the citizens of the United States of America. When the call comes, my focus is achieve my mission to the best of my ability and to lead my soldiers well.”
Ellis also said he enjoys telling others what he does back home.
“When I am deployed, I get the opportunity to interact with a lot of senior leaders of multiple countries. I take pride in telling them that when I am not in the military, I am the Sheriff of Brown County, Ohio,” he said.