New Jersey National Guard in Iraq

Two soldiers from the New Jersey National Guard were killed in Iraq yesterday. And three other Jersey troops were wounded in the ambush in Baghdad. They are the first NJNG soldiers in die in Iraq.

Recently I had the honor to be apart of a large crowd of elected officials, high school students and other citizens cheering as the members of the NJ National Guard 250th Signal Battalion moved out for Southwest Asia. It was moving and heartbreaking watching families saying good-bye to love ones at the armory. Those special moments brought the reality of it all home. Here are a couple of images from that morning.