Reports suggest the U.S. is deploying thousands more troops into the Middle East as the war with Iran enters its third week. Virginia elected officials offered message of support for Virginians likely being sent overseas Saturday at the capitol as the news broke.
Governor Abigail Spanberger and Congressman John McGuire were in the capitol rotunda to honor Marquis de Lafayette who aided the US during the Revolutionary War.
And As President Donald Trump sends Americans abroad, McGuire, a Republican, said he was praying for them.
“I love our country, I'm glad we’re going to have a safer world," McGuire told Radio IQ. "For 47 years Americans have been harmed and we’re going to put an end to it.”
Spanberger, a Democrat, spoke at the Lafayette day event: “Democracy and freedom, not just here, but across the world, are built on a partnership between nations that trust one another and keep their promises,” the governor said before a small Lafayette day crowd.
When asked if she had a message for the troops, she said she was grateful for all of those serving our country.
“I appreciate the sacrifice of their families who support them in their sacrifice of serving our country and I look forward to them coming home safely,” Spanberger told Radio IQ.
Inside the House chamber, speaker Don Scott said: “We’re praying for you.”
Colonial Heights Republican Senator Glen Sturtevant said this shortly after the conflict began: “Under no circumstances can we have American boots on the ground in Iran or elsewhere."
In a written statement Saturday Sturtevant said he was praying for the troops, didn’t take their deployment lightly and said “our leaders must remain committed to keeping our focus on the security interests of the United States."
