Gov. Gregoire addresses the Farewell Ceremony to the Washington Army National Guard 81st Heavy Brigade

August 6, 2008

AS WRITTEN
Good afternoon, and thank you General Lowenberg.

I�m truly honored to be your Commander-in-Chief and I am both humbled and honored to be with you in Yakima as you near completion of your pre-mobilization training.

I know you�re all very hungry and ready to enjoy your barbeque -- and I definitely don�t want to stand between 2,200 hot and tired soldiers and their dinner!

But I am very grateful for the chance to tell you all �each and every one of you � that I�m so proud of you, and so are all Washingtonians.

Your service to our state has not gone unnoticed. You have responded to floods, to snow storms and to fires. You have responded to calls for help not only here in Washington, but across the nation. And now again, across the world.

One thing that is very different between the year 2008 and the year my husband, Mike, left for Vietnam as an artillery officer is this:

This time around, people honor, respect and support our troops! And we try to show it in every way we can.

People from all walks of life and political opinion greatly respect you and deeply care about you.

We know the 81st Brigade Combat Team is about to deploy on your second tour, and we know you have a tough job ahead of you. We know it is dangerous. We pray that each and every one of you returns safely to your families.

Some of you I will see again at your departure ceremonies. But because most ceremonies are scheduled on the same day, I can�t get to them all.

That�s why I felt so strongly about coming here today to assure ALL of you- the state of Washington will do everything we can to support you during your deployment. We will also support your families while you are away.

We have an amazing national Guard Family Readiness program that will support your families and loved ones every day until you return.

And Washington�s Department of Veterans Affairs can also help in new, very real ways. They are there for you. Tell your families to just let us know what they need!

Most of all, please rest assured that we will be praying for your safe return.

We are proud of you!

HOO-ah!

God Bless You

And God Bless America!

�81st Brigade: FALL OUT and enjoy the BBQ!