<p>SALT LAKE CITY – He's not getting much sleep and he can barely squeeze in "a few hours on weekends" with his family, which explains why Jeff Blackburn, the Salt Lake City credit union president, called up for Army National Guard duty to help out Olympic security, admits "it will be nice" when his Olympic stint is over. That should come about Feb. 27 when the Winter Olympics is slated to end and the thousands of visitors and military personnel who include the contingent tended to by Blackburn start heading home. Then Blackburn, who is doing medical duty at emergency clinics in Heber and Park City, can go back to running the $13 million Pioneer Credit Union. The 33-year-old Blackburn is particularly grateful "to my very capable staff" for handling his CU duties during his absence. His official National Guard stint ends March 5. "Yes, I'd say my brother is pretty worn out," says Brett Blackburn, who also is president of a Salt Lake City CU, the $95 million Utah Central. Amazingly, Brett, 38, and his younger brother managed to get in an amateur hockey game on a Saturday – at 11 p.m., "though he had to leave at midnight to head up north," he said. North is Heber and Park City, the sites for Olympic skiing venues and the home base for military and government personnel assigned to security. On an Olympic scale, Blackburn, who has a medical background and served in Desert Storm, says his job could hardly be glamorous since it consists of helping treat the military staff. "We've had lots of flu cases in the barracks. I've had to pop a few IV's as well as treat ankle and leg injuries," declared Blackburn in describing some of his duties since his National Guard service began in earnest Jan. 15. He sometimes has had to work 24 hour shifts taking four hour sleep breaks in the clinics. He has been averaging four hours sleep a day. He does spend from 9 a.m. to noon at Pioneer and then by 4 p.m. heads to Heber and Park City. "Once in a while I can meet my wife for lunch," he said. He has managed to see his three children a few hours on the weekends or at other rare times. "My wife has been pretty cool about this and very supportive because she understands this is a once in a lifetime experience," said Blackburn. Brett, the older brother, said he was glad to spend some time with his brother "because I know he needed a break," even if it was at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night. He and his brother have played in hockey leagues for 15 years "and he may be younger than me, but I'm the better hockey player." No comment from Jeff. He's too busy with the Olympics. -</p> <p>[email protected]</p>
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