[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21521]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             WELCOMING HOME PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL GUARDSMEN

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise 
Pennsylvania National Guardsmen who just arrived home after serving 8 
months in Iraq. Members of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team's First 
Battalion 112th Infantry have arrived at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Some 
1,500 U.S. flags will line their route, along with countless yellow 
ribbons placed by Pennsylvanians who want to show their thanks.
  The soldiers come from Crawford County and from the cities of 
Bradford and Ridgway. Earlier, guardsmen from the 2nd 112th Regiment 
Infantry Regiment from Bellefonte and Lewistown came home.
  The brigade operated in 800 square miles that was home to 900,000 
Iraqis. They captured some 80 hidden supply dumps, causing severe 
shortages and disrupting enemy operations.
  As these men and women are reunited with their families, we realize 
the sacrifices they have made. The child's birth that they missed, the 
report cards, the joys of a sports milestone, they can't replace those 
lost moments. But we can pause and stop and say thank you, and God 
bless and welcome home.

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