Issue Position: Military and Veterans Affairs

Issue Position

Since being selected and then elected to the State Senate, I have served on the Transportation and Military Affairs Committee. I have a deep respect and appreciation for those who have served this country and for those currently in uniform.

One of my proudest moments as a Senator was being chosen last year (2013) to receive the Patrick Henry Award for my support and advocacy on behalf of the Wyoming military. What a great honor.

For me, support of the military comes from the heart. My father served in World War II. He landed in France with the 253rd infantry and as a combat medic he spent a lot of cold nights in fox holes and on the front lines. He watched a lot of comrades fall. Dad earned a bronze star and a purple heart for his service. When he arrived back home he did what the other World War II veterans did: he went to work building our state and country. We can never repay that generation for what it did for us and the world. My uncle, meanwhile, was a fighter pilot and earned a distinguished flying cross for missions flown during the Vietnam War. My sister is retired from
the U.S. Air Force and still works on a base in New Mexico.

I hope to do what I can to keep our National Guard strong in Wyoming in the face of what I consider to be unwise federal reductions in force. I also want to make sure Wyoming is doing everything it can to welcome our service men and women back home after tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Those are difficult wars and create challenges for our combat vets when they get back. We need to support them in any way possible. In my position with Casper College I hope to bring some help to bear for our veteran students.

As a legislator I am proud of the work we have done to set aside assistance funds for families of deployed. I was on the committee who has led efforts in that respect.

If you have not visited the State Veterans Cemetery in Evansville, please stop by. I am proud to have supported several projects and funding that have made that facility a better resting place for our veterans.

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