U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton will meet with service members recently back from Iraq and Afghanistan during tours of Fort Huachuca, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard.
Giffords and Skelton also will spend time with local military families, receive mission briefings from military commanders and meet with installation supporters in Tucson and Sierra Vista. The tour begins Friday afternoon at the Fort and concludes Saturday afternoon at D-M.
As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Skelton plays a highly influential role in determining the policies governing military personnel, equipment, operations, and strategic planning for the U.S. armed forces. A 16-term lawmaker from Missouri’s 4th Congressional District, Skelton is responsible for crafting the Defense Department’s $500 billion annual budget. On Nov. 16, Skelton and Sen. John Warner of Virginia were awarded the 2007 American Patriot Award by the National Defense University Foundation.
Giffords, who represents Southeastern Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, is the only Arizona Democrat on the 62-member Armed Services Committee. She serves on its Readiness and Air and Land Forces subcommittees.
Media covering the tour will have the opportunity to question Giffords and Skelton about issues such as the importance of Arizona’s military installations and funding of the war in Iraq. To cover the tour, media outlets need to contact the installations’ public affairs offices:
Fort Huachuca: 520-533-2752
Davis-Monthan: 520-228-3204
162nd Fighter Wing: 520-295-6192