Alaska has the highest per capita population of military veterans of any state. "With more and more Alaskans coming home from the battlegrounds in Afghanistan and Iraq in the next few years, we all need to work together to help them get back to being a vital part of our economy and our community," said Representative Bill Thomas (R-Haines), a Vietnam veteran who is a Co-Chairman of the Caucus. Thomas was instrumental in bringing "The Moving Wall", a Vietnam memorial, to Cordova in 2006. "Legislators who are veterans have a unique perspective on and commitment to addressing the needs of these American heroes and their families."
"Those of us who have served our country in uniform wanted to get an organized group together to have a centralized resource in the legislature to help our veterans," said Senator Charlie Huggins (R-Mat-Su), a retired Army Colonel who is the other Co-Chairman of the Caucus. "A lot of veterans I have talked to have encouraged us to create this caucus."
Josh Tempel, Sgt., USMC, will serve as the staff person for the Caucus. Mr. Tempel will support Caucus members, the efforts of veterans across Alaska, and will be the point of contact on behalf of the caucus to the State of Alaska and its residents. In addition, he will work as a liaison between Caucus members and the rest of the State Legislature, its committees and legislators, and the state’s Congressional delegation; specifically on veterans’ legislation meeting caucus approval. He will also keep caucus members informed and up to date on military and veterans issues in Alaska.
The non-partisan Joint Veterans’ Caucus includes four members of the State Senate and ten House members; nine are Republicans and five are Democrats. The group will focus on providing general support to both house and senate military committees; on sustaining legislative efforts on military and veterans issues; and on organizing and uniting efforts on behalf of military personnel and veterans across Alaska. In addition, the Caucus is committed to providing forums, communication, participation and representation to mobilize efforts on behalf of veterans. It will also be a rapid response capability when situations arise, such as the cancellation of the few remaining Alaska Territorial Guard members’ pensions.
The members of the Joint Alaska State Legislative Veterans’ Caucus are: Representatives Bill Thomas (R-Haines), Max Gruenberg (D-Anchorage), Alan Austerman (R-Kodiak), Bob Buch (D-Anchorage), John Coghill (R-North Pole), Wes Keller (R-Wasilla), Bob Lynn (R-Anchorage), Kurt Olson (R-Soldotna), Richard Foster (D-Nome), and Bob Herron (D-Bethel); Senators Charlie Huggins (R-Mat-Su), Con Bunde (R-Anchorage), Kim Elton (D-Juneau) and Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak).
For more information, contact Senator Huggins or Josh Tempel at 907-465-4066
Source: Alaska State Legislature
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
