Governor Martin O'Malley spent two days in Iraq last week, visiting with deployed Maryland soldiers and the men and women of the Maryland National Guard as part of a Department of Defense-sponsored mission.
In an email to his supporters, Gov. O'Malley said,
"Some of our servicemembers [in Iraq] are on their third tour of duty. Their bravery and fortitude is inspiring - and I was grateful for the opportunity to tell them in person how much we all appreciate their service."
While in Iraq, the governor visited with members of Maryland-based Army Reserve A Company of the 323 Military Intelligence Battalion and the Maryland-based Army Reserve 392 Expeditionary Signal Battalion, Task Force Raven. Gov. O'Malley joined Gov. Chet Culver of Iowa for a barbecue dinner with service members from the governors' two states.
Governor O'Malley will participate in two events today to honor America's veterans.
In the morning, Governor O'Malley will join the Maryland National Guard Family Readiness Program and the Military Child Education Coalition in Timonium to kick off a training session for educators aimed at helping them identify problems with children whose parents or siblings are deployed members of the National Guard or Reserves.
The Governor, First Lady Katie O'Malley, Dr. Nancy Gasmick, and Brigadier General Adkins will then team up with Blue Star Families to participate in Operation Appreciation at Dumbarton Middle School in Towson, where they will showcase letters written by eighth graders to service members' parents, spouses, children, and to veterans.
Governor O'Malley sent this blog update from Estonia on Tuesday morning.
Maryland's relationship with Estonia goes back 15 years and is still going strong. I met with Andris Ansup, the Prime Minister of Estonia, who thanked us for the
cooperation that Maryland provided helping enable them to integrate
successfully in NATO. The program is very helpful for sharing military
norms, but as importantly, about civil society and government. He said
that their development of an army reserve is based on what they learned
from the Maryland National Guard. In fact, the commander of the Estonian reserve has visited Maryland a number of times going back to 1994. The prime minister told me Estonia was the first country to suffer a major attack by foreign entities, and they've conducted online voting for four years now, so cyber security is a priority for them.
And below are two photos from Tuesday:
Governor O'Malley with Estonian Prime Minister Andris Ansup.
Governor O'Malley sent this blog update from Sarajevo on Monday. Photos from this visit will be uploaded soon.
The visit to see the emergency operations center -- modeled on the Maryland center -- was a great reminder that we have an amazing opportunity to
share our strengths and experience. The emergency management team from
Bosnia Herzegovenia visited their National Guard partners at Camp Frederick
and were inspired to build their own facility. With aid from the United States, the center is nearly read to help the military to coordinate
emergency response.
Saturday, Governor O’Malley joined President Obama in Normandy, France to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day and in particular, Maryland’s historic role in the invasion. French President Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Brown also joined Gov. O’Malley at the event.
The Governor was a guest of the 29th Infantry Division Association, which represents veterans of the sole National Guard division to land in Normandy on D-Day. The famed 29th Infantry Division was comprised of units representing Maryland, Virginia and the Washington, D.C.
Governor O’Malley said of the solemn anniversary:
“The historic landings here sixty-five years ago remind us that our freedom must be defended, and often comes with the ultimate sacrifice. The beaches of Normandy are hallowed ground. The efforts of those selfless soldiers, many of whom never made it off this expansive beachhead, and in particular those Marylanders from the famed 29th Infantry Division, changed the course of history. Those soldiers who served so bravely here represented the best that Maryland had to offer, and as our greatest generation, deserve our unwavering gratitude.”
Governor O’Malley attended ceremonies held along Omaha Beach including observances at the American cemetery at Coleville-sur-Mer. The Governor also visited the National Guard and 29th Infantry Division Memorials located in Vierville-sur-Mer. Later in the day, he observed a wreath-laying ceremony in the town of St. Laurent and attended a dinner held in honor of those 29th Infantry Division veterans who traveled to France for the 65th anniversary celebration.
Of the more than 288,000 Maryland men and women who served in World War II, nearly 6,500 never made it home.
"Governor O'Malley's trip to Normandy not only honors those Marylanders who participated in the D-Day landings," said Brig. Gen. James A. Adkins, adjutant general of Maryland and secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, "but also those men and women who have served and continue to serve our state and our nation in times of peace and war."
Governor O'Malley also traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend and will meet with leaders in Estonia and Sweden before returning home this week.
The White House has uploaded photos from the Naval Academy commencement ceremony last month to its Flickr account. Here's one of Governor O'Malley and President Obama waiting to walk out to the dais.
I first met the men and women of the 224th Area Support Medical Company of the Maryland Army National Guard at their deployment ceremony in March of 2008. Six months ago, I was able to speak to them again via video teleconference while they were on active duty in Iraq.
A clear sign these guys are true Marylanders: when I asked if I could get them anything while they were over there, all they wanted was crab cakes.
Because we couldn't bring crab cakes to them -- shipping seafood to the desert is a tricky business -- we decided to bring them to the crab cakes, by arranging for a picnic yesterday afternoon.
I can't think of a better way to spend Memorial Day weekend than with the service members who work so hard and sacrifice so much to protect our country.
Will you help me welcome them home by writing them a message thanking them for their service? Click here to write a note, which I'll pass along to them.
This morning Governor O'Malley delivered remarks introducing President Obama at the U.S. Naval Academy commencement ceremony. His prepared remarks are pasted below.
Mr. Secretary, Admiral Fowler, distinguished guests, officers, midshipmen, alumni, fellow Marylanders, fellow Americans, we in Maryland are very proud to be the home of the United States Naval Academy. And we are very proud of all of you,... the future of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
It is a great privilege to share this happy day with you, and a humbling honor to have been asked to introduce your most distinguished commencement speaker.
A great American once said that "responsibility is the greatest right of citizenship and service is the greatest of freedom's privileges."
The 44th President of the United States is a living example of these words. His leadership is inspiring Americans from all walks of life to embrace our shared responsibility to advance the common good,... and his leadership is awakening a renewed sense of hope and optimism in the American spirit.
President Obama is strongly supportive of the United States military; he believes in giving you the tools and the support that you need to protect the safety and security of our families.
In a 21st century world where our national security is inextricably linked to our ability to create and innovate, President Obama is investing in the primary ingredient of innovation - public education and the skills of our workforce in science, technology, engineering and math.
In a world where our security is impacted both by global terror and by global climate change, he has called for a new wave of discovery, so that together we can build a safer and more sustainable future for our country and for our world.
Most importantly, he is unafraid to call upon the most important power we possess as a people - the power of our ideals; our shared belief in higher truths -- freedom, justice, equality of opportunity, and the dignity of every individual.
It is my honor to introduce the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
The effects of the nation's economic hardship are hitting Maryland hard. We're fighting every day to protect Maryland’s families during these tough economic times. We’re also working every day to make sure that government and its programs work for people.
http://www.twitter.com/governoromalley
Congratulations to Coach Gary Williams and Greivis Vasquez for their ACC honors. Go Terps!
1 day, 21 hours, 4 minutes ago from GovernorOMalley
I am honored to have just received the endorsement of the Maryland Professional Firefighters.
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Along with Twitter, become a Facebook Fan of Governor O’Malley for campaign updates. http://www.facebook.com/MartinOMalley
6 days, 4 hours, 21 minutes ago from GovernorOMalley
Today the Gov officially released results of the 1st ever statewide survey of MD educators called TELL MARYLAND: http://tellmaryland.org/
1 week, 2 hours, 2 minutes ago from GovernorOMalley
The effects of the nation's economic hardship are hitting Maryland hard. We're fighting every day to protect Maryland’s families during these tough economic times. We’re also working every day to make sure that government and its programs work for people.
