Recently, the last group of our Afghan allies temporarily housed at Fort McCoy as part of Operation Allies Welcome departed the base.
I want to commend our men and women in uniform and civilian personnel at Fort McCoy who helped facilitate the resettlement of more than 12,600 Afghan evacuees. Our troops truly represent the best our nation has to offer, and they demonstrated this yet again during Operation Allies Welcome.
This was a test of our country’s moral character, whether we would help our friends and allies who stood with us during 20 years of difficult conflict in Afghanistan. How we exit our military missions will also determine whether people around the globe view our nation as a reliable partner and their willingness to help us pursue shared goals with shared sacrifices in the future.
Over the past months, our service members provided critical support to this mission by helping our Afghan allies while they got ready to transition to new communities across the country.
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As Fort McCoy completes its support, our service members should be proud of the commitment, professionalism, and compassion they demonstrated as they carried out this effort.
Operation Allies Welcome required a whole of government response. But it also required a whole of society response, and Wisconsinites stepped up. Throughout our Afghan allies’ stay at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin hospitality was on display, especially from the surrounding communities of Sparta, Tomah, Black River Falls, and La Crosse. Additionally, the Monroe County Health Department and area providers went above and beyond to care for our guests, helping with immunizations and delivering over 60 babies.
The outpouring of support for these families was incredible to see. From clothing drives to volunteer work, Wisconsinites demonstrated the sense of community and concern for neighbors that makes our state such a special place.
Our Afghan allies still have a steep hill to climb as they begin a new chapter in communities across the country. But during a deeply challenging time, our servicemembers and communities rallied around them at Fort McCoy. That’s the Wisconsin way.