Washington, DC - Senators Jack Reed (RI) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) spent Thanksgiving Day with U.S. troops of the 10th Mountain Division currently serving in Afghanistan. The 10th Mountain Division is based in Fort Drum, New York. Reed and Clinton, both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, are on an official visit to both Afghanistan and Iraq. Senator Clinton is the first New York Senator to serve on this committee.

The Senators had a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie at U.S. military headquarters at Bagram Air Base, located to the north of the country's capital of Kabul. Bagram is home to most of the 11,600 coalition forces in Afghanistan. In the base's "Viper" Dining Facility, Senator Reed ate with 10th Mountain troops from Rhode Island, while Senator Clinton ate with 10th Mountain troops from New York.

Before lunch, Senators Reed and Clinton had the opportunity to meet with U.S. forces involved in Operation Mountain Resolve, a special anti-terrorism effort being conducted in recent weeks in Nuristan and Kunar, two eastern provinces bordering Pakistan. The Senators also received a briefing from their host, Brigadier General Lloyd Austin, Commander of the 10th Mountain Division/CJTF 180.

From Bagram Air Base, the Senators traveled to Kandahar Air Base for Thanksgiving dinner with members of the 10th Mountain's Second Battalion, 22nd Infantry.

"All of our troops are making a tremendous sacrifice for their country and I'm honored to share Thanksgiving with them," said Senator Reed. "It was a wonderful opportunity to hear directly from them how their mission is going."

"Every American understood why we had to go out after those who attacked us," said Senator Clinton. "There is a great level of support for our mission. I am honored to have the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with the brave men and women who have put their lives on the line for all Americans. It was a wonderful opportunity to convey to them that the American people are fully behind them as they carry out a very difficult task. I am so proud to represent the brave men and women of the 10th Mountain Division."

Before heading to Bagram and Kandahar, Senators Reed and Clinton met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace, to express their support for Karzai's efforts.

"The United States must commit itself to a very long struggle in Afghanistan," said Senator Reed after the meeting. "Our biggest mistake would be to assume that this battle is over. We have to signal, not just by words, but by deeds, that we are committed to the people of Afghanistan, not just this month or next month, but for a very long time."

"I am very impressed by the resolve of the Afghan government, President Karzai in particular," Senator Clinton said after the meeting with Karzai. "The United States is resolved to stand as a strong partner with Afghanistan and to ensure that the terrorists, whoever they are, wherever they come from, will be dealt with. There is not only the resolve, but there will be the resources and forces necessary to do so. The Taliban and terrorists are fighting a losing battle. They cannot win because they cannot intimidate and undermine the resolve of the Afghan people to have a future free of this kind of terrorism."

Before her meeting with President Karzai, Senator Clinton met with a small group of Afghan women as part of her continued efforts to stress the need to include women in the nation-building process. "Afghanistan won't be the country the people deserve without women playing a strong role," said Clinton, adding that the new constitution should "embody in a document the hopes and aspirations of the Afghan people, all of them, men and women," and establish institutions "to guarantee a better future for the children of Afghanistan. How that is done is up to the people of Afghanistan but many of us are hopeful that women's rights and roles will be appropriately recognized because without women playing their part in supporting every institution, from the family to the government, Afghanistan cannot have the future that the people deserve."

From Afghanistan, Senators Reed and Clinton head to Iraq.

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