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Maj. Gen. Richard C. Nash, adjustant general of the Minnesota Army National Guard, visited Montevideo Wednesday last week to recognize the work Montevideo and surrounding communities have done on the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program.
The program is among the six priorities Nash has announced following his appointment last year as adjutant general.
The general met with community leaders, including city staff, city council members, law enforcement, emergency management, educators and major employers throughout the day to express appreciation for their support of the program, as well as to discuss ways they and the National Guard can best collaborate. The innovative program is designed to bring servicemembers all the way home by connecting servicemembers and their families with community support, training, services and resources.
“The general was very impressed with how much Montevideo supports its veterans and service members,” said Montevideo Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Angie Steinbach.
Identifying service members and their families to see if they need help is one of the primary goals of the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program.
Statistics indicate that as of June 2011, 16 percent of veterans who had returned home from deployment were still unemployed, and 40 percent who were preparing to return home said finding a job was their biggest concern.
Maj. Jeff Nelson, the officer in charge at the Montevideo Training and Community Center, echoed Nash’s comments at the conclusion of the day’s activiites. Nelson noted that the communities that are the centers of influence within the area of the 1st Battalion, 151st Field Artillery all have a “big heart” for the soldiers in the battalion.
“This area of southwestern Minnesota is the leader in community support for our soldiers,” said Nelson. “We can’t recognize and say thanks enough to our communities.”
The city of Marshall, home base of Battery A of the 1-151 FA, was just proclaimed a Yellow Ribbon Community, and the city of Morris is in the process of being certified by the state as a Yellow Ribbon Community.
Nash assumed duties as the adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard on Nov. 1, 2010. His military service began with his enlistment in the infantry in 1972.
Maj. Gen. Richard C. Nash, adjustant general of the Minnesota Army National Guard, visited Montevideo Wednesday last week to recognize the work Montevideo and surrounding communities have done on the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program.
The program is among the six priorities Nash has announced following his appointment last year as adjutant general.
The general met with community leaders, including city staff, city council members, law enforcement, emergency management, educators and major employers throughout the day to express appreciation for their support of the program, as well as to discuss ways they and the National Guard can best collaborate. The innovative program is designed to bring servicemembers all the way home by connecting servicemembers and their families with community support, training, services and resources.
“The general was very impressed with how much Montevideo supports its veterans and service members,” said Montevideo Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Angie Steinbach.
Identifying service members and their families to see if they need help is one of the primary goals of the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program.
Statistics indicate that as of June 2011, 16 percent of veterans who had returned home from deployment were still unemployed, and 40 percent who were preparing to return home said finding a job was their biggest concern.
Maj. Jeff Nelson, the officer in charge at the Montevideo Training and Community Center, echoed Nash’s comments at the conclusion of the day’s activiites. Nelson noted that the communities that are the centers of influence within the area of the 1st Battalion, 151st Field Artillery all have a “big heart” for the soldiers in the battalion.
“This area of southwestern Minnesota is the leader in community support for our soldiers,” said Nelson. “We can’t recognize and say thanks enough to our communities.”
The city of Marshall, home base of Battery A of the 1-151 FA, was just proclaimed a Yellow Ribbon Community, and the city of Morris is in the process of being certified by the state as a Yellow Ribbon Community.
Nash assumed duties as the adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard on Nov. 1, 2010. His military service began with his enlistment in the infantry in 1972.
