Major General Orr, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, brought good news when he gave his Condition of the Guard address to the Legislature on January 18. General Orr reported that almost all Iowa Guard personnel are home, and no units are currently deployed overseas.

Over the last 10 years, many in the Iowa Guard have been deployed. Last year, Iowa’s 2nd Brigade, Task Force Red Bulls, was sent to Afghanistan. With 3,000 members, this was the largest deployment of Iowa soldiers since WW II.

Among their many duties, the Red Bulls helped with transition plans for parts of Afghanistan; developed demonstration farms; assisted Afghan veterinarians in treating nearly 40,000 head of livestock; planted more than 70,000 trees for orchards and reforestation; and trained hundreds of Afghan men and women on tree nurseries, orchard planting, greenhouse growing and row crop production.

The first bill approved by the Iowa Senate this year will help our National Guard soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan get the college tuition assistance they were promised. Senate File 2007 invests an additional $1.3 million in the Iowa National Guard tuition assistance program.

Helping Iowa’s returning soldiers attend college and improve their skills makes a lot of sense. We want these young people qualify for good jobs at good wages and help build a stronger Iowa economy.

Last month, the Guard told us that the dollars available for tuition assistance would fall short due increased demand among returning soldiers hoping to get a college education. In fact, the average grant fell from 90 percent of tuition to 50 percent. The cuts went into effect for the spring semester, which meant that Guard members currently enrolled in college classes had to find other sources of assistance to pay their bills.

The Iowa National Guard and Iowa Workforce Development have partnered to bring workforce services directly to veterans with workforce access points at Iowa armories.

This effort will make career-enhancing resources and job prospects more accessible for our soldiers returning from active duty. Maj. Gen. Tim Orr, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, says that more than 25 percent of those returning from combat in Afghanistan are seeking full-time employment.

The National Guard partnership will add 42 new access point locations for veterans. Services include job search and résumé assistance, unemployment claims and labor market information, educational and veteran specific resources, access to workforce specialists via live chat and more.

The Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service has awarded a federal AmeriCorps grant to a new Iowa Department of Natural Resources program that will help put veterans to work. The Iowa Green Veterans AmeriCorps program will help returning veterans in their transition to civilian life while learning new job skills.

From October through March, veterans will learn energy efficiency-related job skills and assist rural, low-income and elderly Iowans in making energy improvements in their homes. From March through September, they’ll help with disaster recovery and stewardship activities in Iowa’s state parks. The goal is to connect military veterans with meaningful employment opportunities in the green jobs economy and natural resources.

Full-time AmeriCorps members receive a modest living allowance and an education award of up to $5,550, which can be used for higher education tuition or loan repayment after completing a full year of service. The DNR’s Veterans Program was awarded $290,000 to support the hiring of 20 veterans for 2011-2012.

To learn more, go to www.iowadnr.gov/InsideDNR/VolunteerOpportunities/AmeriCorps.

Over the past year, Iowa has experienced the largest overseas deployment of National Guard troops since World War II. It’s a powerful reminder this November—the month of Veterans Day—of the sacrifice that thousands of our fellow Iowans are making.

Iowa is a national leader in supporting our veterans, soldiers and their families. The Iowa Veterans Council called a recent legislative session the best for Iowa veterans and service members since the 1950s. And last year, Senate Democrats led the effort to make Iowa the first state to approve 10 measures that the U.S. Department of Defense says would do most to improve the quality-of-life for our military www.usa4militaryfamilies.dod.mil/.

Iowa is currently experiencing its largest deployment since World War II, with about 2,800 Iowa soldiers in Afghanistan alone. It’s a powerful reminder this Memorial Day that freedom comes at a cost.

Here in Iowa, we’ve become a national leader when in supporting our veterans, soldiers and their families. The Iowa Veterans Council called a recent legislative session the best for Iowa veterans and service members since the 1950s. And last year, Iowa became the first state to approve 10 measures that the U.S. Department of Defense says would do most to improve the quality-of-life for our military www.usa4militaryfamilies.dod.mil/.

We're forever indebted to veterans who’ve risked their lives on the front lines in wars from World Word II to Afghanistan.

The Senate has unanimously approved new license plates honoring recipients of the Combat Infantryman Badge, Combat Action Badge, Combat Action Ribbon or Combat Medical Badge. The plates would be available in January 2012, with proceeds benefitting the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs.

Legislation that cracks down on unauthorized use of military decorations and medals also unanimously passed the Senate. Senate File 397 has been dubbed “Stolen Valor” because it protects those who’ve answered the call to military service from theft of the honor they’ve earned.

This week we welcomed hundreds of veterans from across Iowa —including many from our area—to the Statehouse for the annual Veterans Day on the Hill.

They had a full schedule of activities, including a special ceremony in the rotunda honoring their service.

In addition to visiting with their legislators and with members of the Veterans Affairs Committee, the veterans met with Adjutant General Timothy Orr of the Iowa National Guard and Commandant David Worley of the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown.

A Wreaths Across America ceremony will be held at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter on December 11 at 11 a.m. In remembrance of our veterans, more than 100,000 wreaths are placed on veterans’ graves at 300 locations in every state, Puerto Rico and 24 overseas military cemeteries annually on the second Saturday of December—a date unanimously voted by the U.S. Congress as “Wreaths Across America Day.” Learn more at wreathsacrossamerica.org.

The newly renovated and expanded Iowa’s Gold Star Military Museum offers a great opportunity to learn about the service of Iowa veterans and our state’s military history.

Located at Camp Dodge in Johnston, the Museum collects, preserves and exhibits the story of Iowa’s military from statehood to the present. It also features one of the finest military small arms collections in the Midwest.

Here in Iowa, we’ve invested in efforts that truly honor the sacrifices of our veterans. This includes the multi-million dollar renovation of the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, a project that is combining state and federal dollars to create a national example of how best to care for aging veterans.

The Veterans Home provides high-quality health care to honorably discharged veterans and spouses, regardless of their financial status. The Home also offers true community through a variety of activities and events on and off campus.

A new online resource will help our veterans, soldiers and their families better navigate the services available to them at the state and federal government levels, and through nonprofit groups and advocacy organizations.

The site, senate.iowa.gov/democrats/vets, includes a variety of information and contact details for:

• State help through Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Education & employment assistance.
• Heath care services.
• Support services & crisis intervention.
• Veterans service organizations.

Veterans Day is Thursday, November 11. I join all Iowans in thanking those who’ve served and defended our country.

Our veterans and servicemembers have made tremendous sacrifices—a powerful reminder that freedom comes at a cost. For that, they deserve our respect and appreciation.

Here in Iowa, our support for veterans, soldiers and their families has made our state a national leader.