I was contacted by the United States Marine Corps this morning and informed that 27 of the 31 Marines tragically killed in last night's accident were from Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe. I am deeply saddened by this event - I am stunned that so many lives were lost in a single incident. My heartfelt thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathies go to the families of each Marine.

We are particularly feeling the effects of the war in Hawaii. Our active duty forces from Schofield Barracks are scheduled to redeploy from Iraq following the elections next week. The 29th Separate Infantry Brigade, Hawaii's National Guard, is finishing its six-month training period at Fort Bliss, Texas, and is preparing to deploy to Iraq. In addition, we have Hawaii reservists from the 9th Regional Support Command (RSC) who have been serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We've also had Marines from Kaneohe in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The families of service members on active duty, in the Reserves and in the National Guard in Hawaii are truly feeling the effects of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. As a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Ranking Member of Veterans' Affairs Committee, I am working hard to address the needs of our service members and their families, particularly as they return to Hawaii after serving their tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.