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Briefings in Baghdad

May 25 2009

Senator Warner is visiting U.S. troops in Iraq this Memorial Day weekend, meeting with military men and women from Virginia and receiving updates from top-ranking U.S. and Iraqi officials.

He sent in this report from Baghdad:

After 20 hours of traveling, I arrived in Baghdad with Senators Patrick Leahy and Sheldon Whitehouse.  The temperature here was a balmy 115 degrees.  I met with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Chris Hill and Gen. Ray Odierno, the four-star U.S. Army general who commands the multi-national force in Iraq. 

Ambassador Hill and General Odierno provided an operational update on current military operations, progress on the training of Iraqi security forces, and plans for a reduction in U.S. forces that are scheduled to begin June 30th.  

I also met with several Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.  He told us that while much progress has been made since the surge, there is still a lot of work to do.  

What impresses me the most about my visit to Iraq is the incredible American men and women who are serving our country in a very dangerous place.  I had a chance to share a meal in the chow hall at Camp Victory with many of our Virginia troops and listen to their experiences and concerns.

I told the men and women how proud I was of their military service, and that I understood how hard it was to be deployed away from their families and loved ones -- especially on a holiday like Memorial Day.

Here are some pictures from their visit: