Iowa veterans and their families were the biggest winners in the Iowa Lottery’s most recent quarterly payout, which transferred $992,773 to the Veterans Trust Fund (VTF). The payout stemmed from sales of the $1 instant-scratch game, “Stars & Stripes,” between July and September 2008.
The following a a guest column written by Bob Krause:
Growing up in a military and evangelical Christian family in Cedar Rapids, little did Joshua Casteel know that two powerful forces would be battling for his soul in a notorious Iraqi prison known as Abu Ghraib.
Because of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans have seen not only a surge in their ranks, but more emphasis on veterans-related issues in politics, as well. In an attempt to corral and empower the veterans’ voice in the political theater, the VoteVets.org [...] 
Feeling slighted by the media’s portrayal of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an advocacy group composed of combat veterans is on a mission to present their side of the story. Based on firsthand experiences in these conflicts, the nonpartisan organization Vets for Freedom launched [...] 
For many Iowa veterans, the war-front follows them home, where they have to battle for benefits already promised to them by the government through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund (VTF). The annual battle came to an end last week when the Iowa Lottery introduced the first [...] 
Since March 2003, 67 soldiers with Iowa ties have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. And now, thanks to the recent dedication of the Iowa Veterans Cemetery (IVC) in Van Meter, Iowa’s latest fallen soldiers will have a final resting place in Iowa, where [...] 
Like most veterans transitioning from the military to academic life, John Mikelson, 48, does not fit the traditional mold of most college students. After taking a 25-year hiatus from college, most of which was spent on active duty in the military, Mikelson returned to the University of [...] 
Multiple deployments to Iraq by Iowa’s National Guard have not only taken their toll on the wear-and-tear of unit equipment needs, but servicemen, their families and their employers have felt the strain – physically, mentally and economically.
Actor Mike Farrell, best known as B.J. Hunnicutt on the TV show “M*A*S*H,” has spent most of his life as a political activist. Farrell, however, doesn’t like being called an actor or an activist. “I don’t like being called an activist, because this is used to [...] 
Gov. Chet Culver ordered Friday that all flags in the state be flown at half staff on Monday, April 14, 2008, from 8 a.m. (CST) until sunset in honor of Maj. Stuart Wolfer, 36, who died on April 6, 2008 while serving in Iraq. Wolfer served [...] 
Thanks to the efforts of Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, Iowa National Guard members will have one less thing to worry about when they return from deployment.
Gov. Chet Culver has ordered that all flags in the state be flown at half staff from 8 a.m. until sunset on Wednesday, Feb. 27, in honor of Army Spc. Chad Groepper, 21, of Kingsley, who died on Feb. 17 from wounds suffered in Iraq. Funeral services [...] 
For the past 37 years, Garry Trudeau has communicated primarily through his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip, ?Doonesbury.? However, the war in Iraq has indirectly prompted him to speak out on war-related issues, bringing the war home to readers through the experiences and perspective of B.D., a [...] 
109th Medical Battalion stands at [...]
Gov. Chet Culver ordered that all flags in the state be flown at half staff on Monday, February 4, 2008, from 8 a.m. (CST) until sunset in honor of Staff Sgt. Robert Miller, 24, of Iowa City who died on January 25th, 2007, from wounds [...] 
Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, had no inclination that President Bush was going to veto the Defense Authorization Bill on Christmas Eve, let alone the reason why he vetoed the proposed legislation. It was the latter that caught him off guard the following day. Bush vetoed the $3.5 [...] 
Robert J. Miller, 24, who moved to Iowa City to pursue his love for gymnastics at the University of Iowa, died on a battlefield in Afghanistan four years later.
The Iowa House Veterans Affairs Committees new chair, Ray Zirkelbach, D-Monticello, is poised to lead the fight for veterans this session, vowing to pave the way for a smoother transition for Iowas growing population of citizen soldiers. Were dealing with a whole new generation of veterans and [...] 
One thing that Iowas Rep. Bruce Braley has proven during his freshman year in Congress is that hes not afraid to take on the entrenched powers of Washington, D.C. While serving on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Braley, D-Iowa, earned the respect of the [...] 
Lt. j.g. Norman L. Roggow, who was killed in action Oct. 8, 1967, yet had been missing in action (MIA) for the past 40 years will finally be put to rest next to his parents Friday in Le Mars.
Cpl. Clem Robert Boody and his family can finally rest in peace.
Friday marked the fourteenth anniversary of the enactment of the Dont Ask, Dont Tell (DADT) law which prohibits gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. To mark the occasion, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) partnered with Servicemembers United (formerly Call to Duty), Log [...] 
ef, a directive that calls for flying flags half-staff to honor Iowas newly fallen soldiers. But the question still remains whether the governor intends to put his foot [...] 
Gov. Culver ordered that all flags in the state be flown at half staff on Saturday, Nov. 24 in honor of Army Sgt. Adrian Hike of Sac City who died while serving in Afghanistan on Nov. 12, 2007. Hikes funeral is set for 9:30 a.m., at [...] 
If you did not know that all flags in the state were to be blown at half staff on Saturday, you are not alone. I also am guilty of not knowing that Gov. Chet Culver had issued an executive order in honor of Army Sergeant Joseph [...] 
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware received the endorsement of Iowa State Representative McKinley Bailey, D-District 9, a returning Iraq war veteran. Bailey, 26, is the youngest serving Democratic member of the Iowa State Legislature Bailey appeared along with Iowa House Majority Leader Kevin [...] 
War has a tendency to spark controversy in America, and the same holds true for films documenting war. Such is the case surrounding filmmaker Ken Burns' (see pic) new 14-hour film, "The War," documenting World War II, which is scheduled to begin airing on Public Broadcast [...] 
Like death itself, suicide is a nonpartisan issue, but Sen. Tom Coburns, R-Okla., procedural hold on a bill that would help prevent suicide among veterans has thrown a partisan cog into the congressional machine. The Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention bill (S. 479), introduced in the House [...]
