Ambassadorial Send-Off
January 17, 2008 U.S. Ambassador to Georgia John Tefft traveled to Alexeevka Airport to bid farewell to leaders and soldiers of the Georgian 1st Infantry Brigade. The planeload of 315 soldiers departing today is part of a contingent of 2000 that is on its way to Iraq to replace a contingent from the 3rd Georgian Brigade, which has been deployed since July 2007. After being met on the tarmac by LTC Roin Vacharidze, the Brigade Commander, and LTC Archil Omiadze, the Brigade Operations Officer, Ambassador Tefft accompanied them onboard the plane. Using the plane’s intercom system, Ambassador Tefft thanked the Georgian soldiers for their hard work in training for this mission, wished them success in Iraq and said he looked forward to their safe return. Ambassador Tefft concluded his remarks by saying that he was confident that the 1st Georgian Brigade would contribute to continuing improvements in the security situation in Iraq. With 2000 soldiers in Iraq, Georgia is the third largest contributor to that mission, after the U.S. and the U.K.
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