Southern Strike Distinguished Visitor Day

A few of Mississippi’s top politicians stopped by the Coast today for Southern Strike’s Distinguished Visitor Day.
News 25’s Kendra Turley takes us to a ceremony in Gulfport for the culmination of the two week military exercise.
The lives of our men and women in armed forces are on the line every minute of the day. For the past two weeks, military members from all over prepared for the unknown during the fifth annual Southern Strike. Lt. Colonel Billy Murphy said, “We’ve gotten our soldiers and airmen ready to go and stand beside, like I said, the elite warriors of our nation and feel very confident that we can all go down range together and bring everybody back because that’s the most important thing.”
Southern Strike is a massive military exercise that trains soldiers by land, sea, or air. For this type of diverse training, Mississippi makes a perfect practice field. Approximately 2,200 service members from both active and reserve military components have been here along the Coast for the past two weeks, honing in on their skills to defend our country.
Governor Phil Bryant and other political leaders stopped by the Coast to praise the men and women for their sharpened skills and thank them for their continued service. “Now everyone I’ve talked to has talked about the hospitality. We love the United States military in Mississippi and I think they know it,” said Governor Bryant.
John Turner with the Combat Readiness Training Center said, “They’re interested in what we’re doing here. If we can show them how well we’re doing and if we can get the support from the top, we definitely can get it done from the bottom.”
Southern Strike organizers hope the experiences and training from the past two weeks will one day help save the lives of the men and women defending our country. “The dedication, determination that you exhibit makes us all proud to be Americans. Come back to Mississippi. Stay safe and may God bless you all,” said Governor Bryant.