PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 30, 2006
CONTACT: 308-238-0375

Scott Kleeb Wishes Kearney National Guard Troops Safe Return

KEARNEY, NE – Scott Kleeb will attend a ceremony tonight to wish farewell and safe return to fifty Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers mobilizing for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“It is appropriate that we take this opportunity to recognize the extraordinary courage and patriotism of these troops,” Scott said in a statement. “It is hard for many of us to fully comprehend the sacrifices they will be called on to make, as they put their civilian careers on hold and spend months away from family and friends.

“I believe in their mission, I trust in their courage, and I wish them a safe and speedy return.”

The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. at the Kearney High School South Gym. It is open to the public. Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy and Maj. Gen. Roger Lempke, adjutant general for Nebraska, will address the assembly.

The soldiers are members of the Nebraska Army National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 734 Transportation Battalion. They depart this week for training at Camp Atterbury, IN, before deploying to an unspecified destination in the Middle East.

As reported in the Kearney Hub last week, the unit will join about 800 Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers currently deployed or preparing to deploy as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.