Palin Kosovo visit 'a huge morale boost'

Sgt. 1st Class Paul Wade reports on Governor Sarah Palin's time with the troops in Kosovo:

Soldiers from the 'Land of the Midnight Sun' got a huge morale boost when Alaska's governor, Sarah Palin, and the state's adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, trekked the approximately 5,000 miles to see their National Guard troops from the 49th state and to show their support for the service members of the Multi-National Task Force-East KFOR 11 mission.

Gov. Palin seemed to enjoy her time with the troops also:

"Guard promotion ceremony capped great day; far away overseas it's our Bethel/Fbnks/Valley/Anch/Kodiak/Kotz + more troops represnting us well"

Details and photos of the visit by the governor and Alaska's Army National Guard adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell here.

- JP

Palin to Kerry: "Why The Long Face?"

In Kosovo just hours ago, Gov. Sarah Palin spoke to a group of servicemen and
answered Sen. John Kerry's joke that he wished Palin had been the governor who went missing:

"He looked quite frustrated and he looked so sad. I just wanted to reach out to the TV and say 'John Kerry, why the long face?'"

One of the Camp Bondsteel soldiers captured a good part of the governor's address here.

- JP

Quote of the Day (June 25, 2009)

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Lt. Gen. (AK) Craig E. Campbell, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard:

"As commander-in-chief, Governor Palin is the one we look to for leadership and inspiration while serving and defending the sovereign boundaries of Alaska."

- JP

Gov. Palin Visits the 1/207th Arctic Eagles in Kosovo

The full press release from the governor's office:

June 25, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin is in Kosovo visiting approximately 140 Alaska Army National Guard aviators who are deployed for 12 months on a peacekeeping mission.

The 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment is providing aviation support with UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to U.S. forces and coalition forces. This is an air assault mission in which the unit will be tasked with various duties including passenger and cargo airlift, external sling load deliveries, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. “I am happy to pass on the message of sincere thanks from all Alaskans,” Governor Palin said. “We are so proud of their service.”

A part of Governor Palin’s duties while she is in country is to inspect the troops and ascertain how the experience in Kosovo will better prepare these service members for missions within Alaska and future deployments overseas.

“As commander-in-chief, Governor Palin is the one we look to for leadership and inspiration while serving and defending the sovereign boundaries of Alaska,” said Lt. Gen. (AK) Craig E. Campbell, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard. “We thank the commanding general of the Multi-National Task Force East for the invitation to visit and for his hospitality while in country.”

The 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation is the most deployed unit in the Alaska National Guard, having previously deployed elements to Kosovo in 2004, as well as fulfilling missions in Iraq, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras.

- JP