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Cornyn Returns From Visit With Texas Troops Serving in Iraq, Afghanistan
Receives briefings from top military commanders; says troops have made remarkable progress
Monday, January 7, 2008
 Senator Cornyn meets with members of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan - Friday, January 4th, 2008
“I welcomed the opportunity to meet with Texas troops serving on the front lines in the war on terror, and thank them for the tremendous sacrifices they are making on behalf of our nation.
“Our troops in Iraq have made remarkable progress in recent months, bringing peace and stability to once violence-plagued regions of that nation. There is still much work to be done but make no mistake about it, Gen. Petraeus’ plan to defeat the terrorist networks in Iraq is working.
“As a member of the U.S. Senate, I will make sure our troops are receiving all the resources they need to complete their mission and come home as soon as possible. We all owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude for their service.”
BACKGROUND:
- On Friday, January 4th, Sen. Cornyn arrived in Bagram, Afghanistan where he met with the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division. He then traveled with to a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Jalalabad and was briefed on combat and reconstruction operations by the Brigade Commander.
- The Senator departed Jalalabad and traveled by helicopter to Firebase Torkham Gate near the Afghanistan/Pakistan border where he took a ground vehicle convoy to the border along the Khyber Pass. He also met and ate lunch with several Texas soldiers.
- After returning to Bagram Air Base, Sen. Cornyn was given a tour of air assets used to support ground troops (A-10 Warthogs and F-15 Eagles). He also met with Texans serving in the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing.
- On Saturday, January 5th, Sen. Cornyn traveled to Iraq where he with Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, Commander, Multi-National Corps – Iraq. He toured Az-Zawia market in western Baghdad; a section of the city which was the location of heavy fighting only a few months ago, but as a result of the surge and establishment of concerned local citizens groups is now peaceful.
- Sen. Cornyn was briefed by Brig. Gen. Johnny Torrens Spence, the Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq which is responsible for training the Iraqi Security Forces. He then had a series of meeting with key Iraq political entities representing Iraq’s key ethnic groups.
- Finally, he had a dinner meeting with General David Petraeus, Commander, Multi-National Force – Iraq and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker
- On Sunday, Jan 6, the Senator traveled to Erbil, Kurdistan, in northern Iraq where he met with the President of Kurdistan regional government, Massoud Barzani.
- To view a gallery of photos, click here.
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.
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