Sam Gibbons: “on June 8, the Secretary of Defense, Bill Cohen, ordered three U.S. Air Force Red Horse Squadron combat engineer teams…”

“on June 8, the Secretary of Defense, Bill Cohen, ordered three U.S. Air Force Red Horse Squadron combat engineer teams from Nellis Air Force Base to Albania. Their mission was to execute critical road and bridge repairs in this war-torn region as part of NATO's efforts to see a peaceful and safe return to a countless number of refugees. Tonight will be a special evening at Nellis Air Force Base as many of these dedicated troops will be returning to their families and friends. Mr. Speaker, 61 members of the Red Horse Squadron will arrive on base tonight to a warm Nevada welcome. This last spring, I had the opportunity to visit the Balkan region with some of my House colleagues and we were able to witness firsthand the enormous damage caused to the Kosovo region. The task of removing land mines and repairing this region is an enormous challenge for our servicemen and women and continues to be to this date. So on behalf of all Nevadans, let me say ``welcome home'' to the members of the Red Horse Squadron. I salute them for their valuable service to this country and to this effort. As we continue to help these refugees back to their farmlands and homes, let us hope that all of our American troops will remain safe and return home in the very near future.”