Wicker Joins in Welcoming Home 155th Brigade Combat Team

WICKER JOINS IN WELCOMING HOME 155TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM

By Congressman Roger F. Wicker

Family, friends, and supporters are coming together in communities all across Mississippi to honor units of the 155th Brigade Combat Team. I have recently participated in several of these special events to express appreciation to the 3,500 Mississippi National Guard members who have returned after a tour of duty in Iraq.

The celebrations have been filled with patriotic music, words of praise, and cheers for the men and women who answered when their country called. They are being welcomed home as heroes, and deservedly so. The ceremonies also offer an opportunity to pay tribute to the 27 members of the Brigade who died during the deployment.

UNIT'S OUTSTANDING SERVICE

The 155th performed with great distinction in Iraq. It was credited with capturing 1,500 terrorists and insurgents, finding more than 28,000 weapons, and destroying 18,000 pounds of munitions. Members of the 155th earned 123 Purple Heart medals, 328 Bronze Stars, and one Silver Star. The soldiers also worked with Iraqi security forces to help stage the first-ever free and democratic election in that country.

According to Mississippi Adjutant General Harold Cross, "Not only did they provide exceptional combat power, but they developed a significant rapport with the local population, building and repairing infrastructure, providing medical help, and reassuring the Iraqi people of the great rewards that come from the sacrifices necessary for freedom." The team helped improve electrical service, sanitation, health care, and schools.

MISSISSIPPIANS ANSWER THE CALL

Mississippi is one of the most patriotic states in the Union. Over the years, our neighbors and kinfolk have stepped forward when freedom and our way of life have been put at risk. Mississippians joined the fight against the Nazi/Fascist totalitarian threat in World War II and against world communism in the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts. They have responded yet again as the world faces another grave threat from radical Islamic terrorism.

Our state is well represented in the active duty ranks of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, and we salute the sacrifice Mississippians have made during this difficult time. For the citizen-soldiers of the 155th, it was especially difficult to leave families and jobs in their communities, but they understood the vital role the National Guard plays in our national defense and their importance to the mission in Iraq.

STRONG SUPPORT AT HOME

The challenge was made easier by the overwhelming support the 155th had from the folks back home. An August 2004 send-off ceremony and parade in DeSoto County totaled more than 10,000 people, and the same expressions of encouragement were exhibited throughout the state when the Brigade was deployed.

Many of the returning soldiers spoke about the care packages sent from home along with the letters and emails. One of them said, "We never felt alone."

In my remarks at one of the welcome home ceremonies, I noted that young people in the audience need not look to Hollywood or the NFL to find a hero today. They were in the presence of heroes who proudly wore the uniform of our great country and went into harm's way in defense of freedom.

http://www.house.gov/wicker/Combat.htm