Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Aumua Amata was humbled and blessed to spend several days over the holidays, including Christmas Day, with U.S. troops in the Middle East. A group of eight Members of Congress welcomed the opportunity to help serve a Christmas meal to hundreds of U.S. service men and women, tour installations, and visit those deployed in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Sicily.

A formal moment upon arrival.

Christmas with our Pacific Islander troops

Congresswoman Amata was able to greet those serving from American Samoa in several locations. Members were also able to teleconference with troops forward deployed to other Middle East nations, again including several from American Samoa.

With troops in the Middle East over the week of Christmas

Congresswoman Amata also joined Congresswoman Susan Wild of Pennsylvania in roundtable discussions with female service members in each location, so they could share the specific circumstances they face.

Carving turkeys for the troops’ Christmas dinner

“There’s something very special about being with our troops on Christmas Day and the holiday season,” said Aumua Amata. “For the Members of Congress on the trip, it’s our way of saying ‘thank you’ in person and expressing our support, and really showing them a sense of deep support from the country. These dedicated service men and women have answered the call to serve and stand ready in a dangerous world, and we owe them tremendous gratitude.”

Christmastime with the troops, including some of our own from American Samoa

Christmas meal with troops from American Samoa at the front of the photo

Bringing Christmas to the troops

For the second year in a row, Congresswoman Amata was able to be part of the bipartisan Congressional Delegation (CODEL) that has become a special yearly tradition for Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) since 2015, and was co-led by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI). Other Members were Reps. Max Rose (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Susan Wild (D-PA), Dean Phillips (D-MN), and Gil Cisneros (D-CA)

 “I can’t express what a pleasure it is to say merry Christmas to our soldiers,” said Aumua Amata. “They are strong, resilient, motivated and doing a great job over there. I wanted to let them know we’re all very proud of them, and thinking of them and that they have a lot of support.”

Lighthearted holiday moment with troops overseas.

The CODEL had a packed schedule over several days that included Christmas Day visiting troops at their deployments and seeing firsthand some of their activities, facilities and equipment.

With troops in Middle East over the holidays, including several pictured from American Samoa

“I also want to say a special thank you to Rep. Zeldin and Rep. Cicilline, and each of my colleagues that spent this time of year away from home to see our troops, along with Congresswoman Wild for taking time with our female service members,” concluded Amata.