GOVERNOR FREUDENTHAL - COMMANDER IN CHIEF

As the Commander in Chief of the Wyoming National Guard, both Army and Air Force, Governor Freudenthal feels very deeply his responsibility to be personally involved in every military function and celebration involving Wyoming soldiers who have been called to active duty for deployment overseas:

• In some cases this is a happy occasion, as when he goes to the airport, sometimes at 3 o'clock in the morning, to personally welcome home soldiers returning safely from deployment in places such as Iraq or Afghanistan.
• In other cases it is a far more somber occasion, as when he goes to departure ceremonies, wishing them good luck and a safe return, all the while understanding that the risk to these men and women is all too real.
• When Wyoming Guard troops are deployed overseas, the Governor visits them during their training prior to actual deployment. He has traveled to Ft. Lewis, WA; Ft. Polk, LA; and Camp Shelby, MS.
• Governor Freudenthal traveled with several other Governors as guests of the Department of Defense to Iraq and Afghanistan in early 2006 to better understand the conditions under which Wyoming soldiers live and the risks they face.

SUPPORT FOR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM AND THEIR FAMILIES

Since 2002, nearly 3,000 Wyoming Army & Air National Guard soldiers and airmen have answered the call to active duty in support of the Global War on Terror, including missions overseas and in defense of the Homeland. Deployment periods have ranged from 90 to 545 days and, in some cases, Wyoming Guard units have been repeatedly deployed after only brief intervals home. These repeated and constant deployments have placed incredible hardships on the soldiers and their families, who often must rely upon a lower military salary than the solder was earning at his or her civilian job before deployment. Governor Freudenthal has and will continue to support our troops and their families:

• In 2004, Governor Freudenthal advocated for and signed the Wyoming Military Assistance Trust Fund bill to respond to unexpected hardships placed on Wyoming’s military families by these deployments. This fund is available for both Wyoming Guard families and for active duty families who are residents of Wyoming. So far, 235 military families have been given grants from the fund, averaging $2,360 per family. Families have been assisted in such areas as critical home appliance repair and replacement, emergency travel expenses, vehicle repairs, uncovered medical costs, emergency plumbing and other home repairs, and family relocation expenses.
• Legislation has also been passed and signed by Governor Freudenthal that authorizes the State to pay 62.5% of the premium for a $400,000 term life insurance policy that National Guard soldiers can qualify for. This enables soldiers to keep more of their military paycheck for use by them and their families, while still maintaining good financial protection.
• Any combat veteran who was a Wyoming resident for one year before entering the service will be eligible for free tuition at the University of Wyoming, or any of Wyoming's Community Colleges when they return. Tuition will also be available for surviving spouses and children if a soldier is killed in action.
• Governor Freudenthal advocated and signed legislation authorizing payment of $100,000 to the family of any Wyoming Guard soldier killed in combat.
• The Governor has sought to protect the dignity of veterans by endorsing the proposed expansion of the veteran's property tax exemption, funding a feasibility study for a veteran's nursing home and supporting much needed improvements at the veteran's cemetery in Casper.

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