Mo. Secretary of State Blunt mobilized for Navy duty

Associated Press WriterJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt, a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve, has been called to active duty as part of the nation's response to the terrorist attacks.

Blunt, who reported Tuesday morning at a Naval Reserve center in Springfield, is scheduled to depart Oct. 9 for active duty. Blunt received standard orders to serve 12 months but said it was unclear how long he would be gone.

"It obviously could be much less, or it could be much more," Blunt said in a news conference Wednesday in Springfield. "We'll see how this thing progresses."

Blunt said he could not discuss where he was being sent for processing by the military. He anticipated spending three days there before proceeding to an active duty command. Blunt said he had not been informed of his assignment.

"Like most Americans, I'm willing to do whatever is asked of me as we try to respond to this difficult situation," Blunt told The Associated Press Tuesday night from his home in Fair Grove.

Blunt left active duty and entered the reserves in 1998, winning election that year as a state representative.

The oldest son of U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., he was the only Republican to win election to statewide office last November. Blunt was sworn in as secretary of state in January.

"My first priority here is to get the office in order and set up a good system for the office to function in while I'm gone," Blunt said.

He said Deputy Secretary of State Dan Ross would be in charge of the office during his absence. Blunt called his mobilization an "inconvenience" that would not cause much disruption in his office.

Roy Blunt said his son had spent much of the last 10 years in a Navy uniform and is prepared.

"This is a time when a lot of Americans are making sacrifices, and his mother and I are very proud that he is so well-prepared and willing to serve our country," he said.

Blunt anticipated being able to call his office regularly while mobilized. He has been heavily involved in election reform in his first year as secretary of state and promised the effort would continue in his absence.

"Missourians should not be concerned about the quality of service that they will receive while I am gone," he said.

Still, "it certainly broke up the set path of my life, what I thought it would have been a month or so ago," he told Springfield television station KYTV.

Blunt said he would receive no special treatment because he is an elected official.

"I'm a drilling reservist," he said. "Whatever assigned task they want me to do, I'll certainly be willing to do it."

The secretary of state has a bachelor of science degree in history from the U.S. Naval Academy and served five years on active duty before joining the Naval Reserve.

Blunt was an engineering officer aboard the frigate USS Jack Williams. He later spent two years as the navigator and administrative officer on the destroyer USS Peterson.

He participated in a United Nations blockade of Haiti and also was involved in the interdiction of Cuban migrants in 1994, as well as drug interdiction missions off the coast of South America.

Blunt said he is being called up along with 11 other members of his unit.

Blunt's wife, Melanie, said she understands that reservists always face the prospect of being called up.

"Like any spouse, I'm sad that he's leaving," she told KYTV. "But when your country calls you to serve, you serve. I realize how important it is."