The Johnston-based Iowa Army National Guard unit finished its second tour as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The unit was mobilized in Nov. 2007 and after undergoing additional training at Fort Dix, N.J., the unit, which provides security and law enforcement support, was assigned to the Central Command theater of operations and arrived in Iraq in Jan. 2008.

During its second tour in Iraq, the 186th MP was responsible for transporting 4,000 detainees; providing a law enforcement presence in the Strategic Debriefing Center; conducting detainee operations at Remembrance II, the Taji Theater Internment Facility Reconciliation Center; and transportation missions in support of Task Force 134’s juvenile re-integration school.

The 186th MP Company was previously mobilized from 2003-2004 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were also mobilized in 1995-96 in support of Operation Joint Endeavor (Bosnian peacekeeping operations), and in 1990-1991, when they deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm.

The Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama won the election with 32,552 votes (58 percent of the total vote), while his Republican opponent Sen. John McCain finished second with 21,351 votes (38 percent).

“This was an excellent learning opportunity and way for students to take part in this historic presidential election,” Secretary of State Michael A. Mauro said in a statement. “Getting young people involved in our democratic process at an early age is essential, so that when they are of voting age they will stay involved, go the polls, run for public office and play an active role in our nation’s democracy.”

“I am incredibly proud of our state’s teachers and students and the great interest they showed in this year’s mock election program,” Mauro said.

Students cast 56,222 votes in last week’s mock election, and they were able to vote on their candidate of choice for president as well as U.S. Senator and their respective congressional candidates.

The results, for the most part, mirrored recent polls, which show Obama and all of the state’s congressional incumbents holding on to their seats.

The Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C., have ordered the 1133rd and 1168th Transportation Companies to federal active duty. The mobilization is part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism. The Soldiers will leave Iowa and report to Fort Bliss, Texas for additional preparation and training before departing for the Central Command theater of operation.

To honor the guardsmen, political dignitaries joined family and friends at the sendoff ceremonies in Audubon, Iowa City, Mason City, Perry and Marshalltown.

Audubon

Several hundred people crowded in to the Audubon High School to say goodbye to 65 members in Detachment 2 of the 1168th Transportation Company. They were joined by Gov. Chet Culver and U.S. Rep. Steve King, D-Iowa, who presided over the ceremony, the Caroll Daily-Times Herald reported.

“I’m here with a simple message,” Culver, a surprise guest, told the soldiers standing at attention in six ranks before him. “To thank the members of the Guard for your service to our country, to our state, and to join every Iowan in honoring you as you are deployed.”

“But as you depart, I want you to always remember you are not alone. We will always be here for you, and we will always be grateful for your service to the country that we love. Because our service members are Iowa’s heroes…”

King remarked that he was impressed by Thursday’s show of community support.

“I wasn’t prepared for what I saw when we came over the hill here today at Audubon,” he said, referring to the hundreds of vehicles parked outside.

“You come out, Audubon, Audubon County and the surrounding area. You come out to support our military men and women who have sent themselves up as volunteers to defend our freedom and promote freedom around the world. This is a powerful testimony to the best that America has to offer here in the heartland of America.”

Iowa City

Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, joined 25 members in Detachment 1, 1133rd Transportation Company at the Regina High gymnasium in Iowa City, commending them for being both members of a community and defenders of it, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported.

“You are true patriots and you represent the best of America,” Loebsack said. “You make Iowa and our nation proud.”

Not everyone was excited about the upcoming deployment, including Jennifer — the pregnant wife of Sgt. Nile Watkins-Schoening, who is preparing for his second deployment in three years.

Jennifer said she “was a little irate” when she heard her husband would deploy again. He also missed Eve’s [his 2-year old daughter] birth, returning when she was already 15 months old after serving with the Iowa Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry from September 2005 to July 2007.

Marshalltown

Hundreds of well-wishers gathered at the Babe Harder Gymnasium on the Marshalltown Community College campus in Marshalltown to say goodbye to 40 members in Detachment 1, 1168th Transportation Company, the Marshalltown Times-Republican reported.

Kaleb Morrow of Centerville, who was previously deployed from 2003 to 2004 to Iraq admitted that the second deployment was going to more difficult since he is leaving behind his two young daughters, including 2-year-old Emilia and 2-month-old Alexandria, and his wife, Bernadette.

“It’s going to be very rough to say goodbye,” he said before the ceremony.

Morrow said he feels they are better equipped this time around especially when it comes to more armor.

Mason City

Hundreds of family members and friends filled the Mason City High School gymnasium to help send off 115 members of the 1133rd Transportation Company, the Mason City Globe-Gazette reported.

Lt. Gov. Patty judge spoke on behalf of Culver:

“Once before you have traveled to Iraq to protect the people of America and Iraq,” said Lt. Gov. Patty Judge. “There isn’t an Iowan who isn’t grateful for your sacrifices.”

“On behalf of Gov. Culver, myself and our families, we want you to know that we will be thinking of you, following your work and you will be in our prayers every day,” she said.

Several of the soldiers are serving their second deployment, including Staff Sgt. Scott Dunning, whose wife is expecting their first child, a boy, on Sunday.

“I’m due on Sunday,” she said. “That’s in three days.”

Looking at his wife, Dunning’s voice cracked, saying, “It makes it very, very difficult to leave.”

Perry

A sendoff ceremony was also planned for 65 members in the 1168th Transportation Company Perry High School gymnasium in Perry.

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to support those who have given so much for our country,” Ken Brickman, Iowa Lottery Acting CEO, said in a statement. “We thank our players for recognizing the importance of this cause and helping us provide a stable, ongoing source of revenue for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund.”

The alliance between the Iowa Lottery and the VTF was spearheaded by Rep. McKinley Bailey, D-Webster City, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He sponsored legislation, House File 2359 earlier this year that authorized the lottery games and appropriated the funds to the VTF.

“Iowa’s veterans have served with dignity, and with excellence, and all veterans have the gratitude of every citizen,” Gov. Chet Culver said in a statement. “I was proud to sign this legislation earlier this year authorizing new lottery games to help support the Veterans Trust Fund. And now, the proceeds from those games will play a vital role in helping veterans and their loved ones around the state.”

Lawmakers created the VTF in 2003 with the intent of giving the state flexibility with regard to Iowa’s returning veterans and their families, in particular when it comes to issues that aren’t covered by federal funding, such as job training, unemployment assistance, travel expenses for wounded veterans related to follow-up medical care, nursing home care, counseling programs and honor guard services.

The trust fund was supposed to eventually contain $50 million in 10 years, but only $5 million has been appropriated to the fund thus far, and Gov. Chet Culver’s 2008 budget did not contain any additional revenue for the fund, thus prompting Bailey to find an alternative source of funding.

The new lottery games are estimated to generate up to $3 million a year for the trust fund at a minimal impact on the general fund. The lottery’s second set of games to benefit veterans are scheduled to begin sales in January.

On the one hand, the editorial board compares the freshman Congressman with his veteran predecessor, who Loebsack unseated in 2006:

He doesn’t have the record of bucking his party so dramatically as Leach did over decades. But neither did Leach after only his first term. Loebsack hasn’t yet found an easy balance between his expertise as a political science professor and the partisan, sound-byte communications by which laws are made and votes explained. But it took Leach a long time to earn the right to be longwinded. And Loebsack has yet to earn the powerful committee positions that Leach both gained and lost over the course of his career.

On the other hand, the board defended Loebsack’s two-year record in Congress and criticisms lobbed against him by his critics:

But neither does Loebsack deserve the “Do Nothing Dave” caricature that his critics continue to draw around him. He has been working to ensure that his party leadership and the Bush administration understand how this summer’s floods have been “the most significant natural disaster in memory.” To this end, he has toured the district with national officials and pressed for disaster assistance as his top priority in Congress.

Regarding Loebsack’s opponent, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the board had praise for her campaign and future in politics, but had some misgivings about her use of ideological rhetoric:

Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ unique background as a soldier and a medical doctor places her in a good position to challenge Loebsack on issues of health care, national defense and economic development. But ironically it’s Miller-Meeks’ discussions of health care — especially her repeated use of loaded language like “Canadian-style socialized medicine” — that comes across as more ideological than experience-based. We think she has a strong future in the Iowa Republican Party, but she hasn’t made the case for why she would be more effective in her first term than Loebsack has been in his.

Roger Schwieso, Iowa VFW state legislative chairman, wrote in a letter to Loebsack Sep. 15:

“Congressman Loebsack has been a tremendous advocate for veterans in Eastern Iowa. Congressman Loebsack earned the support of Iowa veterans and the VFW Political Action Committee because he has championed the issues most important to active servicemembers, veterans, and our families. Since entering office, Congressman Loebsack worked to ensure passage of the largest ever funding increase for the VA, a new GI bill for the 21st century, and the Wounded Warriors Act. We are greatly appreciative of the Congressman’s efforts, and we are looking forward to working with him in the future.”

During his first term representing Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, Loebsack was named to the House Armed Services Committee, where he supported the largest funding increase in the 77-year history of the Veterans Administration, cosponsored the 21st century G.I. Bill and funding for mental health care for veterans.

“It is truly an honor to have the support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee,” Loebsack said in a statement. “I strongly believe that our nation has a solemn responsibility to care for those who have worn our nation’s uniform, and I work every day to assure that we serve them with the same dignity and honor with which they have served our country. I am proud of my record, and I will continue to fight every day for our veterans, servicemembers, and military families.”

The VFW Political Action Committee, a nonpartisan organization, was founded in 1979 to support candidates for federal office who advocate for our nation’s veterans and military personnel as well as for America’s national security. It is the nation’s only major Veterans Service Organization political action committee and represents more than 2.2 million members of the VFW, its auxiliaries and their families.

“While I understand that some faculty and staff were disappointed with my decision to terminate the employment of Vice President (Phillip) Jones and Vice President (Marcus) Mills, both individuals were at-will employees, and it is my responsibility, and mine alone, to determine whether they should continue in their positions,” Mason said in a statement.

Mason fired Marcus Mills, former vice president of legal affairs and general counsel, and Phillip Jones, former vice president of student services, last month for their role in the handling of a sexual assault case.

UI Political Science Professor Michael Lewis-Beck began circulating the petition a few days after Mills was fired following the release of the Stolar report, an independent investigation which implicated Mills for his role in the handling an on-campus sexual assault case involving two former UI football players in Oct. 2007.

Lewis-Black told the Press-Citizen after the meeting that the opposition plans to form a “reconsideration committee” that will meet regularly and continue to push the issue.

Mills will joined by Catherine Ringen, a professor and Linguistics Department chairwoman, and Tom Southard, a professor and head of the Orthodontics Department, as they make the case for Mills.

“We hope we have a free and frank discussion of the issue,” Lewis-Beck, who spearheaded the petition, told the Press-Citizen. “We want to make her more aware of how important this decision is and how important it is for it to be reconsidered and ultimately he be reinstated.”

Lewis-Beck began circulating the petition among UI faculty last month a few days after Mills’ termination Sept. 23 following the release of the Stolar report, an independent investigation which implicated Mills for his role in the handling an on-campus sexual assault case involving two former UI football players in Oct. 2007.

University of Northern Iowa Professor Annette Lynch, who is leading the effort, said funding for the review could cost $51,700, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported. The regents’ office will pick up half the tab, while the other half will be funded by a portion of a $1 million Flagship grant awarded in 2007 to the University of Northern Iowa from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women.

“I commend the universities for their efforts in quickly initiating this review process, particularly in securing grant funding from the Department of Justice for this initiative,” Regents President David Miles said in a statement. “The involvement of the Department of Justice and its consultants will provide important national expertise on sexual assault policies to ensure a comprehensive review of the policies at the Regent universities. I further appreciate the universities’ commitment to completing this review in a timely manner.”

This review responds to the regents’ resolution adopted Sept. 25, 2008, which directs all of the board’s institutions to develop common policies and procedures dealing with sexual assault consistent with standards and best practices available in the higher education community. The policies will address the specific recommendations developed by The Stolar Partnership based on its investigation of the UI’s handling of an alleged sexual assault. The new policies and procedures will be presented to the board at its meeting on Dec. 11.

The regents hired a St. Louis law firm, the Stolar Partnership, in July to conduct an independent review of the UI’s independent investigation of the university’s handling of an alleged sexual assault of a female student-athlete at the Hillcrest Residence Hall on Oct. 14, 2007. The accused, two former members of the UI football team, Abe Satterfield, 20, and Cedric Everson, 19, are still awaiting trial.

The Stolar review was prompted by the mother of one of the accused, who had sent a letter accusing athletic officials of trying to keep the investigation in-house. Released in September, the report revealed that the UI failed to turn over the mother’s letters during a previous investigation and found “numerous and substantial flaws in not only the response of the University of Iowa to the alleged sexual assault at issue, but also in its policies, procedures and practices regarding the same.”

The Stolar report, which will end up costing the state $247,588, led to UI President Sally Mason’s immediate firing of two top officials, former UI vice president for student services Phillip Jones and Marcus Mills, UI vice president of legal affairs and general counsel, for their role in the alleged sexual assault investigation.

Members of the 1133rd and 1168th Transportation Companies will report immediately to their mobilization station at Fort Riley, Kan. for additional training and preparation before departing for the Afghanistan theater of operations. In Afghanistan, these soldiers will operate as a Regional Corps Advisory Group Embedded Training Team (“ETT”) to provide mentorship and advanced training to the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.

The units are medium truck companies which transport equipment and supplies in a theater of operations and both served in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.

Community send-off ceremonies have been planned for Thursday, Oct. 30 in five different communities:

Aububon– Detachment 2, 1168th Transportation Company (approximately 65 Soldiers) -sendoff at 4 p.m., Audubon High School gymnasium, 800 3rd Ave., Audubon.

Iowa City – Detachment 1, 1133rd Transportation Company (approximately 25 Soldiers) -sendoff at 4:30 p.m., Regina High School gymnasium, 2150 Rochester Ave., Iowa City.

Mason City – 1133rd Transportation Company (approximately 115 Soldiers) – sendoff at 6 p.m., Mason City High School gymnasium, 1700 4th St. SE, Mason City.

Perry – 1168th Transportation Company (approximately 65 Soldiers) – sendoff at 7:30 p.m., Perry High School gymnasium, 1200 18th St., Perry.

Marshalltown – Detachment 1, 1168th Transportation Company (approximately 40 Soldiers) – sendoff at 7:30 p.m., Marshalltown Community College gymnasium, 3700 S. Center St., Marshalltown.