Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to welcome home 53 of the men and women of the Headquarters Element of the storied 25th Infantry Division, also known as Tropic Lightning, who will be returning to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii from their deployment to Iraq this Sunday, in time to join their loved ones for the holidays. I would like to recognize the entire 25th Infantry Division for their service in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade. I would also like to pay my respects and give my deepest condolences to the families of the 236 members of the 25th Infantry Division who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, defending the American values and freedoms we enjoy. Although I cannot be there in person, I send my warmest aloha and heartfelt gratitude to these soldiers and their families for their many sacrifices and dutiful service to our country. Since its activation on October 1, 1941, the 25th Infantry Division has played a significant role in every major conflict we have had. In that tradition of outstanding service, the 6 major elements of the 25th Infantry Division--the division headquarters, the 4 brigade combat teams, and the combat aviation brigade--have made a total of 19 combat deployments since 2004. Thirteen of these deployments were to Iraq and another six were to Afghanistan. In addition, three separate Tropic Lightning battalion-sized aviation task forces have deployed to Iraq. I commend MG Bernard S.…”