Senator Warner is visiting U.S. troops in Iraq this Memorial Day weekend, meeting with military men and women from Virginia and receiving updates from top-ranking U.S. and Iraqi officials.
He sent in this report from Baghdad:
After 20 hours of traveling, I arrived in Baghdad with Senators Patrick Leahy and Sheldon Whitehouse. The temperature here was a balmy 115 degrees. I met with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Chris Hill and Gen. Ray Odierno, the four-star U.S. Army general who commands the multi-national force in Iraq.
Ambassador Hill and General Odierno provided an operational update on current military operations, progress on the training of Iraqi security forces, and plans for a reduction in U.S. forces that are scheduled to begin June 30th.
I also met with several Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. He told us that while much progress has been made since the surge, there is still a lot of work to do.
What impresses me the most about my visit to Iraq is the incredible American men and women who are serving our country in a very dangerous place. I had a chance to share a meal in the chow hall at Camp Victory with many of our Virginia troops and listen to their experiences and concerns.
I told the men and women how proud I was of their military service, and that I understood how hard it was to be deployed away from their families and loved ones — especially on a holiday like Memorial Day.
Here are some pictures from their visit: