Guthrie Visit’s Troops During July 4th Task Force Trip

Rep. Brett Guthrie has just returned from a week-long Congressional Delegation (CODEL) to Slovakia, Georgia, Yemen, Djibouti, and Spain.  The bipartisan delegation was led by Representative Bill Shuster (R-PA). Rep. Guthrie was joined on the trip by Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA), Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX), and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).

 “It is always great to spend July 4^th with our troops.  I appreciate all of their efforts and sacrifices.  The CODEL also provided a great opportunity to learn about the most recent developments in Yemen.  This is clearly an important location in the War on Terror, and after visiting it, Afghanistan, and other terror hot spots over the last few years, it’s clear to me that the there are many in the world who want to do Americans harm.  Fortunately for us, we have thousands of men and women who are willing to volunteer to protect our freedom,” said Guthrie.

While in Georgia, the Congressmen visited the grand opening of a local medical clinic and were briefed on the status of the upcoming national elections by both the President and opposition leadership. The delegation was also updated on the status of the Georgian-American military partnership and briefed by the United States Marine Corps on their efforts to prepare Georgian Infantry Battalions for combat in Afghanistan. 

Following their departure from The Republic of Georgia, Guthrie and the delegation arrived in Sanaa, Yemen to meet with President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi and survey the fragile security situation on the Arabian Peninsula. 

Before making a final stop in Rota, Spain to meet with Navy officials, the CODEL visited Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti, Africa, to celebrate the 4^th of July with the men and women deployed as part of the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA).  The delegation also took the opportunity to meet with senior military leaders in Djibouti to discuss ongoing efforts to improve regional security in East Africa.