Military duties could play role in councilman's race

Lt. Col. Matt Drozd's unusual golden years commitment to the Air Force is complicating his political aspirations.

Drozd is one of only 96 Air Force reservists nationwide permitted to continue service past their 60th birthdays. But the call to duty could get in the way of the Republican's bid for a seat on Allegheny County Council.

The military prohibits soldiers from running for political office if their orders for active duty are for 270 days or more. Should he win Nov. 8, Drozd acknowledged he could get longer orders that would force him to resign.

"There's always that chance, and I will not turn my back on my country," said Drozd, 60.

Democrat Mark Purcell, 58, a Ross jeweler who served as a Navy fireman in 1966 during the Vietnam War, declined to discuss Drozd's military service. He said he would leave it to Drozd to tell voters how he might balance those responsibilities.

As a North Hills school board member, Drozd missed 10 of 28 board meetings in the last three years, records show.

The military considers Drozd an individual mobilized augmentee, a special classification for officers called to duty to help regular military officers, Air Force Reserve Col. Audrey Bahler said. About 13,000 people are serving in similar positions nationwide, she said.

Most reservists are attached to a unit, but augmentees such as Drozd are called up and assigned on an individual basis.

Drozd's current assignment is at the Pentagon but he said he is not allowed to reveal specifics. He said past responsibilities included tasks such as arranging transportation for troops and cargo.

Drozd has twice won the Meritorious Service Award, a Defense Department honor for noncombat service excellence. One was for helping arrange evacuation of survivors of the USS Cole bombing in 2000 and the other was for his work in the Persian Gulf region in the runup to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Drozd started his military career in the Army Reserve and Air National Guard in the 1960s and 1970s, before starting a career in business that culminated as a fundraiser and planner for Penn State University.

At the time of the first Gulf War in 1991, Drozd returned to military service in the Air Force Reserves. As he approached 60, he wanted to keep serving. He learned medical service corps officers can serve up to age 67 with a waiver, so he became one.