2003 Embassy Events
August 3, GEORGIAN MILITARY DEPLOYMENT IN SUPPORT OF COALITION MILITARY OPERATIONS IN IRAQ
On August 3, Ambassador Miles attended the departure ceremony of the first Georgian military contingent deploying to Baghdad as part of Georgia’s military contribution to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The orchestra played the national anthems of Georgia and the United States on the military airfield. The Georgian Minister of Defense greeted the combined unit of 70 Special Forces, medical personnel and demining personnel. Ambassador Miles thanked the Georgian Government for their contribution and emphasized that "Georgia was one of the first nations to volunteer to assist the United States in the Global War on Terrorism." On July 31, the Office of Defense Cooperation of the US Embassy in Tbilisi issued $350,000 worth US field equipment to the unit to assist them during this six-month deployment in Iraq.
