CHEYENNE -- Gov. Dave Freudenthal is halfway around the world this week to meet with Wyoming National Guard troops in Kuwait and Iraq and to receive briefings from top U.S. officials in the region.

Earlier Tuesday, Freudenthal visited members of the Wyoming National Guard at Camp Virginia, a transit facility in Kuwait for U.S. soldiers.

He later met with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill and Ray Odienro, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, as part of a delegation of state governors that also includes Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Ted Kulongoski of Oregon and Sonny Perdue of Georgia.

Freudenthal said he had requested the visit to be able to check in on Wyoming troops in Iraq and to show support for them.

Speaking to reporters via conference call Tuesday morning, Freudenthal said he couldn't reveal many details about his trip, including his schedule and location. However, Freudenthal said he will be back in Wyoming by next week to resume budget talks with a number of state agencies.

Freudenthal said troop morale is high and that the situation appears to be improved since his first and only other trip to Iraq in January 2006.

"It seems to be calmer, even in the ways they're moving us around," he said. "It's not that it's not dangerous, it's just I think they're more comfortable with the operation, they're more comfortable with the level of violence than they were a few years ago."

However, many Wyoming guardsmen told him they were disappointed to be missing out on hunting season back home.

"I told them that they didn't miss anything. I went hunting for a week last week and came back empty-handed," Freudenthal said.

Freudenthal left Sunday for the trip.

Read more about this story in Wednesday's Star-Tribune.