Proceeds to benefit nonprofit Hope For The Warriors® in honor of Memorial Day

ANKENY, IA, April 22, 2014-During the entire month of May, Casey's General Store (www.caseys.com) is offering a special "Dog Tag" Promotion to raise funds and awareness for the growing needs of service members and military families. For only $1, Casey's customers can do their part to support the growing needs of today's military.  All proceeds will benefit Hope For The Warriors®, a national nonprofit dedicated to restoring a sense of self, restoring the family unit, and restoring hope for our service members and our military families.

Patrons of Casey's General Store will be invited to support Hope For The Warriors® by purchasing a "Dog Tag" for $1.00.  Casey's will display the "Dog Tags" throughout the store, providing their customers the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment and support for the sacrifices of our service members. "Dog Tags" will be available at more than 1,800 Casey's store locations throughout the month of May.

This is the third year that Casey's has supported Hope For The Warriors® throughout the month of May. Thanks to the strong support of Casey's customers, more than $745K has been donated to Hope For The Warriors® in the past two years.

"Casey's General Store employees are eager to continue supporting Hope For The Warriors® and the service members they support,' said Robert J. Myers, Casey's General Store Chairman and CEO.  "Through our May promotion, we are proud to provide the opportunity for our customers to join us in saying 'thank you' to these brave men and women."

"We are very thankful to Casey's for this incredible opportunity and their support over the years," Robin Kelleher, Hope For The Warriors® President said.  "Through this unique promotion, they are helping us reach thousands of patriotic Americans who truly understand the sacrifices of our service members and military families."

The mission of Hope For The Warriors® (www.hopeforthewarriors.org) is to enhance the quality of life for post-9/11 service members, their families, and families of the fallen who have sustained physical and psychological wounds in the line of duty. Hope For The Warriors® is dedicated to restoring a sense of self, restoring the family unit, and restoring hope for our service members and our military families.

Hope For The Warriors® has earned a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) for three consecutive years. Charity Navigator is an independent organization that evaluates fiscal responsibility and accountability of nonprofits.

Hope For The Warriors® (Federal Tax ID 20-5182295) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity as defined in sections 509(A)(1) and 170(B)(1)(A)(VI) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Combined Federal Campaign, CFC #27800.

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Military student transition measure now moves to Illinois Senate

SPRINGFIELD - April 10, 2014. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon on Thursday applauded the Illinois House for the passage of legislation crafted by her office to ease the transitions of military students moving in and out of Illinois schools. Sponsored by Rep. Eddie Lee Jackson (D-East St. Louis), House Bill 3939 will align Illinois with national standards on the treatment of military students, many who transfer schools three times more often than their civilian peers.

"This legislation provides a chance for Illinois to strengthen our commitment to our brave military families,"  said Simon, chairperson of the Interagency Military Base Support and Economic Development Committee. "We want to make sure these students are prioritized and transition smoothly into their new classes. It's right for our kids and  important for keeping defense jobs in the state of Illinois."

In 2010, Illinois joined the Interstate Compact for Military Children and adopted the state's first-ever law recognizing the unique educational challenges of military students. In the 45 other Compact states, military students enter the same grade level at their new schools, retain previously earned credit and are offered opportunities for extracurricular activities. Illinois' law does not currently offer the same assurances. The Simon-backed legislation brings Illinois into alignment with other Compact states, providing protections military students deserve while also preserving local control. They include :

• Grade Level: Students must be allowed to continue their enrollment at grade level in the receiving state at the time of transition; subsequent evaluation to verify placement is allowed.

• Course & Program Placement: Schools shall initially honor course and program placement for military students at the time of transition, including Advanced Placement and ESL, provided that the courses are offered and space is available; subsequent evaluation to verify placement is allowed.

• Extracurricular Activities: Schools shall facilitate the opportunity for inclusion in sports and other activities to the extent that children are qualified and space is available as determined by the school principal.

The state of Illinois is home to approximately 10,000 military students, most of whom have at least one parent on active duty at major installations in North Chicago, the Quad Cities and Metro East. They may transfer schools up to nine times between kindergarten and high school graduation, a rate three times that of their civilian peers. During testimony in front of the Illinois House Elementary & Secondary committee, Simon noted the importance of ensuring these transitions are as seamless as possible, out of respect for their families' sacrifices, the children's learning opportunities and the economic future of our state. Read her testimony here.

Simon added that with potential federal defense spending reductions and potential base closures on the horizon, this measure also levels the playing field for military students and positions our bases for expansions, not drastic cuts.

"I am proud to have drafted and negotiated this bill as part of my role as chairperson of our state's military base retention committee," said Simon. "I want to commend Rep. Jackson and the Illinois House for their quick work to pass this important legislation. I hope the Senate and governor will also work quickly to make this the law of Illinois. House Bill 3939 sends a strong message to military families and our federal leaders that Illinois is a strong and supportive education state."

During a series of listening posts hosted by the Simon-chaired Interagency Military Base Support and Economic Development Committee (IMBSEDC) held last year near Scott Air Force Base, Naval Station Great Lakes and the Rock Island Arsenal, families and military leadership consistently raised the issue of improving school transition.

As chair of the IMBSEDC, Simon helps coordinate the state's activities and communications relating to current and former military bases in Illinois. A copy of the legislation can be found here.

CAMP SANTIAGO, PUERTO RICO (04/08/2014)(readMedia)-- Approximately 40 Illinois National Guard Special Forces (SF) Soldiers with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Chicago conducted foreign internal defense (FID) training with the Puerto Rico National Guard, April 2 to 6, 2014 at Camp Santiago in Salinas, Puerto Rico.

More than 300 Puerto Rico National Guardsmen were familiarized with marksmanship training, mechanical and ballistic breaching procedures, military operations on urban terrain and close-quarter battle techniques.

"We were able to teach basic fundamentals to establish a baseline of proficiency to build upon in future training," said a weapons sergeant with the Company A, 2-20th. "They were very receptive and we were able to challenge their abilities."

SF Soldiers shared techniques for more accurate and proficient shooting with the M16A2 rifle, M4 Carbine, M249 squad automatic weapon and M240B machine gun.

"The tactical weapons training was the best part," said Spc. Christopher Figueroa, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 296th Infantry Regiment in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. "The opportunity to fire crew serve weapons was very beneficial and refreshing."

Each unit said they gained language proficiency, because both English and Spanish were spoken throughout the training.

"This was the first time I had to use English for training," said Spc. Eric Aponte, an infantryman with Company A, 1st Battalion, 296th Infantry Regiment in Utuado, Puerto Rico. "They have been great at explaining the training step by step and I learned a lot."

The training was an opportunity for SF Soldiers to maintain their primary skillsets in a foreign culture while advancing language capabilities. Puerto Rico Guardsmen improved their ability to operate as a cohesive unit with a culminating exercise that involved mission planning, movement as a 30-man element and operating in a complex urban environment.

In the past three years Company A, 2-20th has deployed four operational detachments to Central America for long-term FID missions, but this is the first time in more than 10 years Company A, 2-20th conducted training in Puerto Rico.

"There were long days with little sleep, but everyone enjoyed the training," said 1st Lt. Alexis Avellanet, the executive officer for Company C, 1st Battalion, 296th Infantry Regiment in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. "We will take this back to our units and raise the standard of training."