GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY TO HONOR MARYLAND HEROES

Governor to welcome home returning veterans at two military ceremonies Sunday
Governor will address Maryland Firefighters and Maryland Police Chiefs

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley will honor Maryland heroes next week in a series of ceremonies and public addresses. Sunday, he will participate in two welcome home ceremonies, welcoming back soldiers from the 175th Wing, Maryland National Guard, and soldiers from the 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion, many of whom Governor O’Malley met with in February during his Defense Department-sponsored mission to Iraq.

The first event, held at Fort McHenry on Sunday morning, will honor 112 Army Reserve Soldiers from Alpha Company, 323rd who returned from Iraq after completing a one year deployment in support of the Multi-National Corps-Iraq and United States Forces-Iraq. Later that day, Governor O’Malley will welcome home several hundred Airmen from the Maryland National Guard, each of whom served more than 30 consecutive days for Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and other contingency operations.

Governor O’Malley will also address more than 1,500 members of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Convention in Ocean City on Monday morning, including volunteer firefighters from across the State. On Wednesday, Governor O’Malley will address about 40 members of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association at their Executive Board meeting. The Governor will address record reductions in overall crime, and the state and local efforts that have lead to the lowest rate of violent crime recorded in Maryland since 1975.