Politics

Speaker Pelosi and Congressional Delegation Trip to Afghanistan, Qatar and Germany

By Karina

Yesterday, Speaker Pelosi, Susan Davis (D-CA), Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam), Member of the Armed Services Committee, Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Member of the Armed Services Committee, and Donna Edwards (D-MD), Member of the Science and Technology Committee, returned from a Congressional Delegation to Qatar, Afghanistan, and Germany. Today, they held a press conference to discuss their trip:

The delegation arrived in the Middle East on Friday and visited American troops at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, part of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM):

On Saturday, the delegation arrived in Afghanistan and met with U.S. Forces and were briefed by U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and General Stanley McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. They also met with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul to discuss the political and security situation in Afghanistan.

On Sunday, the delegation visited with troops in Kandahar?thanking them for their service. Sunday was also Mother’s Day and the delegation spent some special time with the women serving, many of whom are mothers:

In Qalat, Afghanistan, also on Mother’s Day, the delegation held a roundtable discussion with Afghan women on the challenges women face in Afghanistan:

On Monday, the delegation arrived in Germany and were briefed by senior commanders of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) on military operations in Europe and toured the flight line of Ramstein Air Base, including a review of the contingency response and tactical airlift units:

The delegation then visited troops wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq who have been airlifted to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center?thanking the Wounded Warriors for their service:

Marine First Lieutenant Justin Trowbridge of Williamsburg, VA is being treated for a gunshot wound received during a firefight in Afghanistan:

The delegation then flew to Stuttgart, where General William “Kip” Ward, Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), and Lt. Gen. John Gardner, Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command (EUCOM), led briefings on operations in Africa, Europe, and with our NATO partners in Afghanistan and Iraq. The delegation concluded their visit to Stuttgart by thanking our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines for their service.

See more photos from the trip»

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 11, 2010 (boomark / email).