Back from Iraq ... Jeanine McDonnell

Daughter of Virginia Attorney General completes Army tour of Iraq

Open letter from her dad, AG Bob McDonnell:

Dear Friends,

From the last month and a half of our campaign, through the recount, and for the first 9 months of my administration, there has been something missing in the McDonnell family, our oldest daughter.

As many of you know, my oldest daughter, Jeanine, has been serving on a 12-month tour of duty in Iraq. While we all worried about her safety, and missed her presence, we also felt tremendous pride in what she was doing.

Now, I am happy to report, that yesterday Jeanine returned safely back to America, her tour of duty complete. Jeanine called Maureen and me shortly after she landed and I have to say that her phone call home was probably the best phone call of our lives. Our daughter was safe and sound on American soil.

Over the past year, so many of you have asked about Jeanine. You have inquired as to her well-being, you have offered your prayers for her safe return, and you have demonstrated time and time again your total and heartfelt concern for her safe return. Maureen and I thank you so much for all the kind words. We thank you for the prayers. And today we just wanted to share with you the wonderful news of Jeanine's safe return.

I am an Army veteran, but in my 21 years I never served anywhere as dangerous as Iraq. Jeanine's courage in the face of this assignment not only reassures me as a father, it also gives me great optimism as an American. The young men and women serving our nation in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all over the globe are the direct descendants of their ancestors who have served so bravely on the islands of the Pacific, the forests of northern Europe, from the mountains of Korea, to the jungles of Vietnam.

Recently I spoke at a 9-11 ceremony in Richmond and I used the old quote that "America is the land of the free, because we are the home of the brave." Today, our brave daughter is safely back home in the land of the free, and we could not be happier.

Again, on behalf of my wife, Maureen, and our entire family, thank you for your support over the past year, we could not have gotten through this without you.

Thanking you again,

Bob McDonnell