President Obama ended the seven-year combat mission in Iraq Tuesday.

Obama told the nation “it was time to turn the page.” The president is keeping up to 50,000 troops in Iraq for support. The last soldiers are expected to leave Iraq by the end of 2011.

Montana’s national elected officials issued comments about Obama’s decision. “Bringing our combat troops home from Iraq is the right thing to do. As we welcome our brave service members home, we must also hold in our thoughts and prayers the Montanans and men and women across the country who continue to serve in both Iraq and Afghanistan,” U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said. “We are so fortunate as Americans to have the best military in the world, and proud that more Montanans volunteer for service overseas than anywhere else in the nation. As long as there are American troops still serving in harm’s way, I will continue my commitment to ensuring they have the resources they need to accomplish their mission and come home safely.”

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont, added, “I join all Americans in thanking the hundreds of thousands of men and women who supported combat missions in Iraq over the past seven years. Hundreds of Montanans are still being asked to answer the call of duty in Iraq, and until they come home, we’re not done by any measure. We will do right by them and their families as they serve and after they return.

“The end of combat operations in Iraq is a significant, long-awaited milestone. We are winding down our presence there responsibly. And now we can fully focus America’s combat forces – the most powerful in the world – on keeping our country safe from terrorism. In Congress, I’ll do my part to make sure our military has the resources it needs while cracking down on wasteful spending and abuse of our constitutional rights.”

CNN reports that more than 4,400 U.S. military personnel were killed and another 30,000 wounded in Iraq.

U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., said, “This achievement is a testament to the sacrifices of the men and women in uniform whose courage in Iraq spread freedom and made America more secure. But the job isn’t done, and even now our troops are in harm’s way in Afghanistan. Until all our troops are home safely, I will continue to support their fight to rid the world of the tactics of terror once and for all.”

editor@sidneyherald.com