[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 172 (Thursday, November 19, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   HONORING THE 102ND INFANTRY AND THE 250TH ENGINEER COMPANY OF THE 
                    CONNECTICUT ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2009

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the deployment of 
102nd Infantry Battalion and the 250th Engineer Company. On November 
15, 2009, Connecticut sent off 700 soldiers from the two Connecticut 
National Guard units to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in support 
of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
  The logistical and tactical work that the Connecticut soldiers will 
do in Iraq and Afghanistan is critical to the Nation's success in the 
two conflicts. The 102nd Infantry will deploy to Afghanistan to partner 
with the Afghan security forces to assist, train and mentor the Afghan 
Army, Police, and Border Police forces in order to strengthen, 
stabilize and legitimize the Government of Afghanistan. The 250th 
Engineer Company will work in Iraq to provide bridging support for 
theater mobility, and to ensure rapid emplacement of bridging assets in 
the event that routes in their area of operations become impassable.
  The Connecticut National Guard currently has nearly 500 Soldiers and 
Airmen mobilized and deployed to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan in 
support of counterterrorism missions. This is the largest single 
deployment of Connecticut Army National Guardsmen since the Korean War 
and will bring our total number of deployed Soldiers and Airmen to 
1,200.
  The 250th Engineer Company, commanded by Captain Charles Taylor of 
Hamden is based in my district out of New London. The unit's motto is 
``No Bridge too Far,'' which refers to its primary mission of 
supporting our combat forces by literally building bridges over 
otherwise inaccessible terrain and rivers. In Iraq, the 250th will be a 
part of the drawdown of our forces and equipment there--a massive, 
historic undertaking in the history of our military.
  This will be no easy feat--about 3.1 million pieces of equipment of 
all sorts, over 100,000 vehicles, military and civilian, 24,000 short 
tons of ammunition, over 120,000 containers of supplies, and around 
120,000 U.S. military personnel that have to be moved out of Iraq, 
mostly through Kuwait.
  This past weekend, I had the honor of joining many of my colleagues 
in the Connecticut Congressional Delegation, state officials and 
Adjutant General Thaddeus Martin in a moving and well attended ``send 
off' ceremony for the 102nd and 250th. The ceremony, of course, was one 
of mixed emotions. On the one hand, these men and women represent the 
best of what our State and Nation has to offer. They have trained and 
worked to be the very best at what they do--and we are so proud of 
them. However, on the other hand, Connecticut is sending its own to do 
a hard and dangerous job.
  The eyes of Connecticut and the families of these soldiers are on 
them, eagerly awaiting their safe return. But soon, the eyes of the 
world will be on them. And all of us in Connecticut will be so proud to 
watch the work that they do. Their missions in Iraq and Afghanistan are 
critical to America's mission to secure and keep the peace in the 
world's most troubled regions, and all of us from Connecticut are proud 
to say these dedicated men and women are our fellow citizens.''
  I ask all of my colleagues to join with me in honoring these men and 
women who defend our Nation every day. We thank them for their service 
and look forward to welcoming them home again after a successful 
deployment.

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