From Congressman Jack Kingston (R/GA.-1)

Kingston to hold Town Meeting on Iraq, Terrorism, Homeland Security; Deputy Secretary of State to present facts, answer questions

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Jack Kingston (R/Ga-1) announces a special Town Meeting on Iraq, the war on terrorism, and homeland security.

"I am pleased to announce that Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, will speak and answer questions," Congressman Kingston said. "It is going to be especially informative at this challenging time in American history. Mr. Armitage is second in command to Secretary of State Colin Powell and it is a privilege for us to have him come to southeast Georgia to speak about recent developments with Iraq and terrorism."

Details at a glance:
Congressmen Jack Kingston
and
Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage
October 18, 2002
10:00am
Fine Arts Auditorium, Armstrong Atlantic State University
11935 Abercorn Street, Savannah

"This is an important time to get together to hear first hand what is happening and what we can expect. This is also a very rare opportunity to hear such a high ranking official in the State Department in person, especially at this crucial time. I very much appreciate him accepting our invitation to inform our constituents about what is going on and what we can expect. Mr. Armitage is one of the leading experts in Defense and Foreign Policy and I know that people will value hearing what he has to say," said Kingston.

"I encourage as many people as possible to try to attend, not only from Chatham County, but from surrounding areas. This promises to be a fascinating and informative event about timely, important, and historic issues," Kingston said.

Background on Mr. Armitage:
Richard Armitage is an international affairs expert. Mr. Armitage graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. He then served on a destroyer stationed on the Vietnam gunline, where he became fluent in Vietnamese. More recently, he was sent as an Ambassador to the New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union, served as the Presidential Special Negotiator for the Philippines and the Middle East, as well as a Special Emissary to Jordan’s King Hussein during the 1991 Gulf War. He worked at the Pentagon from June 1983 until May 1989 as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Prior to that, he was posted in Tehran, Iran, and Saigon. He is reputed to be one of the most highly decorated officers of the US public service. He received numerous military decorations from the governments of Thailand, Republic of Korea, Bahrain, and Pakistan.