Michaud Returning from Trip to Iraq
Tuesday, August 05 2008
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Mike Michaud, Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health, issued the following statement after landing in Germany.  Michaud is currently preparing to return to the United States after leading a congressional delegation trip to Iraq.  The purpose of the trip was to visit medical facilities in the chain of care for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) service members.  Joining Michaud on his trip were Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL), Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL), Congressman John Salazar (D-CO), Congressman Ciro Rodriquez (D-TX), and Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID).  The full details of the trip can be found below.  This is Michaud's second trip to the region this year. 

"I organized this trip so that we could see first-hand the level and quality of health care being provided to our active duty service members in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Michaud.  "We met and talked face-to-face with key medical personnel at these facilities to understand the challenges of combat health care in Iraq.  It is crucial that my fellow committee members and Secretary Peake understand the health care services that our brave men and women receive before they enter the VA health care system.  The care soldiers receive on the battleground, in medical facilities in areas of operation, and at hospitals in Germany and the U.S. is the foundation for what they will need when they enter the VA health care system."

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TRIP DETAILS

5 days total - 2 in Iraq, Sunday, Aug. 3 - Thursday, Aug. 7

  • Locations visited:
    • Kuwaiti Emergency Medical Facility, near Camp Arifjan Air Field, Kuwait
    • Medical Aid Stations, Baghdad, Iraq
    • Balad Theatre Support Hospital, Balad, Iraq
    • Landstuhl Regional Medical center, Landstuhl, Germany
  • Briefings/meetings:
    • Ambassador Deborah Jones (US Ambassador to Kuwait) - Monday, Aug. 4
    • Lt. General Lloyd Austin (Commander, Multi-National Forces - Iraq) and Brigadier General Joseph Caravalho (Lead Surgeon, Multi-National Corps - Iraq) - Tuesday, Aug. 5
    • Charlie Ries (Deputy US Ambassador to Iraq) and General David Petraeus (Commanding General, Multi-National Force - Iraq) - Tuesday, Aug. 6

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