News Releases for June 2006
June 20, 2006
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Hoeven Visits North Dakota Troops In Iraq And Kuwait
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven just completed a two day trip to visit North Dakota soldiers stationed in Kuwait and Iraq.
Hoeven began his trip on Monday with briefings from Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in Washington. He then departed for Iraq with a stop in Kuwait for lunch with active duty troops from North Dakota. Hoeven's stops in Iraq included meetings with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad, meetings with military officials in Baghdad and a flight to Balad to visit members of the North Dakota National Guard 164th Engineer Battalion.
"It was a great honor to be able to visit our soldiers on the front lines and see firsthand the tremendous work that they are doing," Hoeven said. "These men and women are helping the citizens of Iraq to create a free and democratic society. In doing so, they are also making the world a safer place for all of us."
The Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored trip also included Governors Frank Murkowski of Alaska and Mark Sanford of South Carolina. Details of the trip to Iraq were not announced in advance at the request of the DoD.
Currently there are more than 350 members of the North Dakota National Guard in active duty status deployed around the world. Deployed units include the Minot based 164th Engineer Battalion; the Grand Forks based 188th Air Defense Artillery; the Bismarck based 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and 112th Command Aviation Battalion; and members of the 119th Fighter Wing in Fargo.
Photos are available at governor.nd.gov. Additional photos will be made available as they are released by the Department of Defense.
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