CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan, - Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and governors from five states visited National Guard Soldiers and Airmen throughout the Middle East last week.
The group traveled to Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan to receive an overview of military operations and reconstruction efforts in the region.
McKinley, along with South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, also spent time visiting with Guard members and thanking them for their service.
"It's a great pleasure and privilege to visit with Soldiers and Airmen here," said McKinley. "(The governors) are all keenly interested in seeing the Soldiers and Airmen from their state and those from other states and territories as well."
Rounds told the Guardsmen that was a "privilege" to visit with them. "Being considered the commander and chief of the National Guard for our home state comes with the realization that nothing gets done unless the Guard is involved and we are proud of what you're doing," he said.
The delegation's mission began on July 22 with briefings at the Pentagon with top-level government officials from the Department of Defense and the State Department, including a meeting with Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn.
McKinley and the governors also visited wounded warriors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The following day, the delegation visited National Guard men and women at Camp Victory in Baghdad and also met with the deputy commander of U.S. Forces-Iraq Lt. Gen. Kenneth Hunzeker.
"The senior leadership of the Department of Defense realizes that the National Guard is a fully integrated organization," said McKinley of the Guard's involvement in active-duty deployments and missions. "We have to maintain our edge and stay operational. We have to keep our head in the game."
An example of this edge was seen during the delegation's visit to Joint Base Balad, where the Air Force's mission was on display with Air Guard F-16s, Predator unmanned aerial vehicles, and Air Force Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
"We have to keep the Guard resourced, well-equipped and well-lead, so we can serve our state and our nation in the future," added McKinley.
The delegation later flew in a military transport plane to Ali Al Saleem Air Base in Kuwait and then went by helicopter to Camp Arifjan to meet with troops and Lt. Gen. William Webster, commanding general of the Army Component of Central Command.
McKinley and the governors then traveled onto Afghanistan for two days, where they met with more than 300 Army National Guard Soldiers from three states at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, including: the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade of South Dakota; the 186th Brigade Support Battalion of Vermont; and the 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery of Massachusetts.
While in Afghanistan, the delegation met with International Security Assistance Force Commander Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry. The delegation also traveled to several provinces in eastern Afghanistan, where National Guard troops are serving and to Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, the largest military installation in the country.
"It speaks volumes of our Soldiers and Airmen on how well lead they are by their adjutant generals," said McKinley. "Having the governors here symbolizes our faith and trust in each Soldier and Airman in the National Guard and the mission they are performing."