William Richard Keating
BARNSTABLE – U.S. Congressman Bill Keating is spending his holidays visiting troops overseas.
Keating will be the head democrat on a weeklong trip to Asia and the Far East to visit Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine personnel at several bases.
Keating says he hopes to bring a little bit of home to the servicemen and women as they are away from loved ones during the holidays.
“It’s an amazing privileged and opportunity to meet with them and to thank them personally because it is a difficult time,” Keating said. “We forget, I think often, how much time is spent just away from their home towns, away from their family members and loved ones and that’s a great sacrifice as well.”
Keating believes the trip will be time from his service that he will treasure.
“If there are local people there from my region and from my district I’ll be making direct contact with them as well,” he said.
Keating said the holiday season is a time when the religious message is one of peace.
“I can’t think of a more appropriate way to spend some of these holidays than with the people that are doing their best to create peace and safety and security back here at home,” Keating said.
The trip will also be used to discuss critical issues like terrorism, non-proliferation and trade with foreign officials.
“It’s pretty obvious where nuclear non-proliferation issues are critical in parts of the world where China is being much more aggressive in the South China Sea and it’s a time to really get some first-hand information on those issues as well,” Keating said.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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