Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle visits Earthquake hit areas in Pakistan
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Governor Doyle Visits Troops in Earthquake Relief Effort in Pakistan
Thursday, January 26, 2006 – Governor Doyle Press Release
PAKISTAN – Governor Jim Doyle continued his ongoing visit to the Middle East and South-Central Asia with a visit to Pakistan today. Governor Doyle viewed damage and met with troops working in the relief effort from the October 8, 2005 earthquake which registered 7.6 on the Richter scale, killed 87,000 people and left another 3.5 million people homeless.
"The damage from this earthquake and the magnitude of the human suffering it has caused go beyond words," Governor Doyle said. "The men and women I met here from Wisconsin are doing heroic work to save lives and help the countless refugees cope with the disaster. They make Wisconsin proud, and they are showing the world the goodness and compassion of our country."
Governor Doyle, who is in the region on a delegation with three other Governors at the invitation of the U.S. Departments of Defense and State, began the day with a briefing from Rear Admiral Michael LeFevre. LeFevre is in charge of U.S. relief efforts in the area. It is one of the largest relief efforts in world history.
Governor Doyle visited a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Refugee Camp in the mountains of Pakistan. He later traveled farther into the mountains to a U.S. Marine Corps field hospital, where he met with Marines from Wisconsin who are providing relief to the victims. The hospital has seen 11,000 patients in the last two months.
While at the field hospital, Doyle shared a meal with a number of Wisconsin Marines and Navy personnel, including Lieutenant Jessica Miller, a U.S. Navy doctor. Because cultural traditions often preclude a woman from being seen by a male doctor, Miller's role as a female doctor is critical to caring for women affected by the earthquake. Miller is the daughter of Chris and Lori Gramling of Milwaukee. Photos of the Governor and Lieutenant Miller and other photos from the day are available below.
"I enjoyed meeting Doctor Miller, and all of her fellow troops who are doing this important work," Governor Doyle said. "I know her parents are proud of her, and so is Wisconsin."
Governor Doyle is in the region with a delegation of Governors to visit Wisconsin National Guard and other Wisconsin troops at the invitation of the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State.
Governor Doyle is joined by Governors Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.), Rick Perry (R-Tex.), and Dave Freudenthal (D-Wyo.). The delegation began their trip Sunday with classified briefings at the Pentagon and a meeting with Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and later departed from Andrews Air Force Base. On Monday, the delegation visited National Guard troops at Camp Arifjan, and other locations in Kuwait. On Tuesday, they traveled to Baghdad and other locations throughout Iraq.
More information on the trip, including photos, is available at www.wisgov.state.wi.us.
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