Good morning. The First Lady and I are honored to join you today as you prepare to deploy overseas to Djibouti, Kenya, and Somalia.
Our Oregon soldiers here today, from Clackamas, Corvallis, Forest Grove, Portland, and other locations – more than 200 of you – have answered the call to team up with your counterparts from New Mexico under the flag of the 1st Battalion, 200th Infantry. I know you will represent Oregon well.
Today, you join your brothers and sisters in arms from the brigade, who are currently deployed in Europe and the Middle East – and now Africa. You are part of a storied legacy.
Serving as your Commander in Chief is an incredible honor, and I am deeply humbled by the service and sacrifice to your country, your state, and your communities that every person in this room brings to this responsibility.
In working with General Gronewold, I have heard him championing being “connected, competent and committed” as a recipe for success. That’s exactly what I see here today. I see families, friends, and employers connected and supporting their service members. I see soldiers connected to one another, taking care of one another.
I see competent soldiers, standing ready to perform their specialties at the highest level. And I see commitment – not only commitment to our great state – but to our nation.
I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the employers of our guard members. Oregon and the nation are better served on every level because you continue to foster opportunities for these men and women to serve in Oregon’s Guard. Thank you for your contribution.
And many thanks to the contributions and sacrifices of the families and loved ones of these soldiers. Your mission is important, too. The challenges and victories of life will carry on without your loved ones nearby. I thank you for your commitment and sacrifice to support Oregon’s citizen-soldiers who keep our state and our nation safe.
It is your love and support that enables these soldiers to be successful. Thank you.
To our infantry, field artillery, and engineer soldiers here in the formation, I thank you for your devotion to duty. I know you will rise to any challenge ahead of you and continue to set the bar high.
For our one-four-one soldiers in the formation today, you are critical for success. As a forward logistics element, you are foundational to making an operation successful.
I’m very proud of all of you. Thank you for your dedication and courage. You make Oregon and our country stronger. Be safe, stay strong, and I look forward to welcoming you home when your task is complete.
Thank you.