Palin salutes troops at deployment event

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin spoke Thursday at a deployment ceremony for more than 4,000 soldiers heading for Iraq, including her son, Track Palin.

In remarks at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, the Republican vice presidential nominee called the Iraq War a "righteous cause," the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News said.

"We're gonna miss you," she told the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. "We can't help it, we're gonna miss you."

The governor told the audience the troops would deploy Sept. 18. They are scheduled to be in Iraq for one year.

The team is to serve in northern Iraq, the newspaper said, and Track Palin will be assigned to help provide security for the brigade commander and deputy commander.

Maj. Chris Hyde, a spokesman for the brigade, said Track Palin's assignment will not be change and no special measures will be taken now that his mother is a nominee for vice president.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden's son, Beau Biden -- a captain in the Delaware National Guard -- is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in the near future. He os to work as a military lawyer.