JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. – A local National Guard member who went missing last month has been found.
The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office said Mark Henry Hudson went missing around September 14, when he drove away from his home for National Guard training in Ashland. He didn’t contact anyone since he left.
Hudson was supposed to join 450 other soldiers the mid-October in saying goodbye to loved ones before heading to Somalia and Djibouti for the next 10 months.
A few days after his deployment date, the sheriff’s office notified the public about the disappearance via a press release.
That same day, NBC5 News spoke to Hudson’s sister, who was in disbelief. She explained he was excited to go to Africa. “Since he found out, which I believe was about a year ago, he was telling us how excited he is to go to Africa,” Mira Hudson said.
A spokesperson for the National Guard told us Hudson appeared motivated to deploy and they hoped he was found soon. If Hudson did leave willingly they say the next step would be a military investigation, but they hope it does not come to that.
On October 21, JCSO said Hudson was found safe. He reportedly returned home, but no further details were provided, including information regarding his disappearance.
NBC5 News will update this article when more information becomes available.
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