Biden drops in on troops at dining facility
Written by: Sgt. Bryce Dubee, 2nd Infantry Division
Sunday, January 24, 2010 12:18
CAMP LIBERTY – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met here with members of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division “Raiders” and other deployed service members and civilians Saturday as part of his visit this week to Iraq.
Taking time out of his busy schedule of meeting with Iraqi government officials and U.S. military leaders, Biden made a stop at the Raider Inn Dining Facility during dinner to chat with troops and pose for photos.
Biden was swarmed by service members and civilians eager to meet him as he was escorted through the bustling facility by Col. John Norris, the 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. commander.
Expressing his appreciation for the hard work done by Soldiers, the vice president worked through the crowd, shaking hands with the troops and often pausing to hear from many of the Soldiers.
Biden said he hopes the American people understand the amount of hard work done by service members while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the father of a Soldier.
The vice president said that even in the face of great adversity, such as the loss of a fellow Soldier, service members still “saddle back up” and head out the next day.
Norris expressed his appreciation for Biden’s visit with the brigade and for his strong support of his troops in the past.
“I thanked him for going to Fort Lewis for the [5th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div.] ceremony,” he said.
The brigade’s sister unit, 5th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div., has taken heavy losses during its deployment to Afghanistan and in November 2009, the vice president travelled to Fort Lewis, Wash., for a ceremony memorializing seven brigade Soldiers killed by a roadside bomb.
Norris reminded Biden about that visit.
“It’s really important to all of us that somebody of your stature recognizes those troops that have fallen,” he said.