DeLauro Statement On Return of 439th Quartermaster Company

DeLauro Statement On Return of 439th Quartermaster Company

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The 439th Quartermaster Company, headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, returned home today following 14 months in the Iraq theater. After two extensions of their tours, Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) had worked for more than one month to attempt to secure the homecoming of the 439th, the second-longest-serving unit in the Iraq theater. She released the following statement in regard to the return of the 439th today:

"I am so pleased and grateful for the servicemen and women of the 439th Quartermaster Company and their families. After 14 months, two tour of duty extensions with no sign whether that would be their last, these brave men and women in uniform will at last be returning home safely, having served their country with honor and with great courage - it is humbling.

"I met with the families of the 439th in April, and saw for myself the unbelievable strain they were under - financially pressed, unable to get the answers they needed regarding their loved ones' current and future status. As we celebrate the unit's safe return today, their experience reminds us all of the enormous sacrifice being made by all our troops right now serving abroad - especially our reservists, who are leaving behind not only their families, but also their jobs and their lives back home. Theirs is an extraordinary brand of heroism, one deserving of a government forthcoming about the sacrifices being asked of them and prepared to give them the resources needed to carry out their mission successfully.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the 439th as they prepare to welcome their loved ones home."