I Don’t Hate America!

Recently members of the 1st brigade/34th Infantry (Red Bulls) Division of the Army National Guard began returning to Minnesota from their record setting 22 months of employment.  Today, the US House passed a concurring resolution honoring their service.

The resolution, H. Con. Res. 185 introduced by Rep. Tim Walz and cosponsored by every other member of the Minnesota House delegation, “commends the 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National Guard upon its completion of the longest continuous deployment of any United States military unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom,” “recognizes the achievements of the members of the 1st Brigade Combat Team and their exemplary service to the United States” and “directs the Clerk of the House to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard for appropriate display.”

“This record of the longest continual deployment of any US military operation during Operation Iraqi Freedom is something to be incredibly proud of,” Walz said. “Being there is one thing; contributing positively the way they did is quite another.”

Some of the contributions Walz was refering to include the discovery of 462 IEDs, the capture of over 400 suspected insurgent, the assistance in starting two Iraqi newspapers and the completion of 137 reconstruction projects.

“These men and women did not set this record and when they left these shores they had no idea this record was going to be theirs,” Rep. John Kline, R-Minnesota and member of the House Armed Services Committee, said. “But when the word came they didn’t flinch.  They set forward, did their duty and they set a record; one which I certainly hope no other unit will be asked to surpass.”

“We recognize not just the soldiers but their families and employers who patiently supported, loved and cared for them and waited until they returned to the Midwest,” Walz added, a former member of the Red Bulls himself, added.

Walz also noted that the responsibility of Congress to the soldiers goes well beyond honoring them with a resolution: “Now Congress must do its part to recognize their service and provide them with the benefits and health care they need,” he said.

The House passed the resolution by voice vote with a recorded vote to come later today.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 1st, 2007 at 4:06 pm and is filed under Iraq, Veterans, John Kline, Congress, Healthcare, Tim Walz, DJ D.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.