Photo By Master Sgt. Andrew Lee | Vice President Joe Biden, speaks to a crowd of more than 200 service members and...... read more read more
BAGHDAD - A crowd of more than 200 military members, many of them airmen, and civilians deployed in support of Operation New Dawn, listened to Vice President Joe Biden during his brief stop at Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory.
“It makes me feel like we have the support of the people back home,” said Staff Sgt. Pearl Alomar, Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq personnel specialist from Sacramento, Calif. “He came here just to talk to us.”
The vice president spoke about the continued risk to the lives of American service members and the sacrifices being made by their families.
“We do our normal jobs every day,” said Staff Sgt. Catherine Banks, an intelligence analyst on her first deployment to Iraq and native of Swan’s Island, Maine. “This visit reminds us how our leaders feel about what we’re doing.”
It was Biden’s second trip to Iraq in the past four months. In September 2010, he represented the United States for the start of OND.
“This shows airmen that our leaders are connected to what’s going on in the theater,” said Maj. Christopher Dupre from Peyton, Colo., and the U.S. Forces-Iraq Information Operations branch chief. “It gives us a sense of where we’re going as we reposture forces and get the mission done.”
On the stage during the speech, standing behind the vice president was a group of service members including airmen, soldiers, sailors and Marines.
“We have two of our hard workers, airmen who stand up and volunteer for anything regardless of the task,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jerry Thornton, a 321st Air Expeditionary Wing first sergeant. “We selected the best from our unit to represent us.”
Biden stressed the nation owes more to the men and women in uniform than it will ever be able to repay them as he delivered his message of thanks from Americans at home.
“I’ve been to change-of-command ceremonies with generals,” said Banks, a seven-year veteran deployed from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. “It’s not often you get to see the vice president.”
| Date Taken: | 01.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.13.2011 14:48 |
| Story ID: | 63491 |
| Location: | CAMP VICTORY, IQ |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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