Brings Message of Love and Support from
People of Arizona
Governor Jan Brewer departed Afghanistan today,
following a multi-day trip to visit American service members – including Arizona
troops – stationed in Kuwait and Afghanistan.
The Governor’s trip was at the invitation of the U.S.
Department of Defense, which regularly takes elected officials to view military
operations and visit with U.S. troops abroad. This is Governor Brewer’s first
trip to Afghanistan as part of the program. For safety reasons, details of the
Governor’s trip were not publicly disclosed in advance.
“It has been such an incredible honor to be invited to
visit with and view up-close our brave service members in Afghanistan,” said
Governor Brewer. “I’ve always been a huge supporter of our military, but I’m
even more impressed after seeing the important work they’re doing and the
difficult and often dangerous conditions in which they operate. I salute them,
and I know the people of Arizona join me in praying for their safe
return.”
As part of the trip, Governor Brewer flew to Washington,
D.C., on Sunday. She met with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta that morning,
before departing the Pentagon in order to visit Walter Reed National Military
Medical Center. There, the Governor met with wounded service members, and was
briefed on state-of-the-art care and rehabilitation being provided on-site. The
visit included a tour of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a
Department of Defense institute that provides cutting-edge evaluation, treatment
planning, research and education for service members struggling with mild
traumatic brain injury and other psychological conditions.
The Governor departed for the Middle East late Monday,
arriving Tuesday afternoon at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. The delegation
then traveled to Camp Buehring, in northwest Kuwait, where Governor Brewer
visited with troops and toured facilities.
The following morning, the Governor traveled to
Kandahar, Afghanistan. From there, she traveled to Forward Operating Base
Frontanec, north of Kandahar. Governor Brewer was briefed on operations and had
lunch with Arizona service members, and departed that afternoon for Tarin Kowt,
the capital of the Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan. After observing a
briefing and meeting with service members, the Governor departed for Shindand,
in the Herat province of western Afghanistan.
Governor Brewer spent Wednesday night in Kabul, the
capital and largest city in Afghanistan. Thursday morning (Note: Afghanistan
is 11.5 hours ahead of AZ time), she and the delegation traveled to Bagram
Air Field, one of the largest U.S. military bases in Afghanistan. Her activities
included a commander briefing. From there, the delegation traveled to Sharana –
capital of the Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan – where the Governor was
briefed and had lunch with Arizona service members.
Governor Brewer returned to Bagram Air Field
before departing the country. She is scheduled to return to Phoenix on
Saturday.
“After meeting with our wounded warriors at
Walter Reed, and seeing our service members in action in Afghanistan, I am so
impressed with their dedication to the mission and determination on behalf of
this country,” said Governor Brewer. “This trip was my opportunity to tell them,
‘thank you, God bless you and come home safely.’”
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