Fitzpatrick Spending Christmas Visiting Troops In Middle East

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, of Bucks County, is spending his third Christmas in a row visiting troops serving in the Middle East.

Fitzpatrick, a former FBI special agent, pledged when elected to spend the holidays with troops deployed overseas away from their families and loved ones. This year, Fitzpatrick will be in various undisclosed locations throughout U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, according to his office.

While there, Fitzpatrick will help serve Christmas dinner to troops and receive classified briefings from generals regarding ongoing military operations, his office said. He'll be spending time with troops from Pennsylvania serving in all branches of the military who are deployed in the Middle East.

"During the holidays, please remember those who are away from their families while serving overseas, keeping us safe every day," Fitzpatrick said Monday evening in a Twitter post. "I will be conveying our community's love and gratitude for all their courage, sacrifice and service to our great nation."

From 2007-2008, while in the FBI, Fitzpatrick was embedded with U.S. Special Forces in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.