[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18747]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



         WELCOME HOME TO THE MEMBERS OF THE RED HORSE SQUADRON

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, 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.




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