"All the Way Home II:  Tri-State Veteran's Conference"

Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Five Flags Center

Purpose: To thank our community's Veterans and military families for their service and to showcase federal, state, and local programs and services specially geared toward Veterans' issues.

Participating Organizations: Iowa City Veterans Hospital, Mental Health America, Dubuque County Commission of Veterans Affairs, Iowa Workforce Development, United Way, United Auto Workers, NAMI, Hillcrest Family Services, Radio Dubuque - KDTH, KATFM, KGRR, 101.1 The River, DAV, Lamar Advertising, KWWL TV, Telegraph Herald, Dubuque Advertiser and the list continues to grow.

Audience: Veterans and military families, interested members of the community.

Expect attendance of 1,000+

Speakers: L. Tammy Duckworth, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. Dr. Heidi Squier Kraft - former Navy Lieutenant Commander - Fleet Marine Force, Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran, Clinical Psychologist and author Jake Krapfl - Local Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran, Student, PTSD Survivor. The speakers will be available to meet attendees.

Activities: Booths with over 100 state and local organizations with programs for veterans and their families.

Entertainment: Activities for kids

About Our Speakers:

L. Tammy Duckworth
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs.

A Major in the Illinois Army National Guard, Duckworth flew combat missions as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Baghdad in 2004 where she lost both legs to a rocket-propelled grenade but continued to pilot her aircraft until passing out from blood loss, an act for which she was awarded the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.

Since her recovery at Walter Reed, Duckworth has dedicated her life to public service, advocating on behalf of disability rights and Veterans. She decline and Army medical retirement and returned to the Guard. In 2008 she completed the Chicago Marathon and has also resumed flying.

Heidi Squier Kraft

Heidi Squier Kraft received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of California - San Diego School of Medicine in 1996. She joined the Navy during her internship at Duke University Medical Center, serving as both a flight and clinical psychologist.  Her active duty assignments included the Naval Safety Center (clinical time at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth), the Naval Health Research Center (clinical time at Naval Medical Center San Diego), and Naval Hospital Jacksonville, FL.

While on flight status, she flew in nearly every aircraft in the Navy and Marine Corps inventory, including over 100 hours in the F/A-18 Hornet, primarily with Marine Corps squadrons. In February 2004, she deployed to Iraq for seven months with a Marine Corps surgical company, when her boy and girl twins were fifteen months old. 

She left active duty in 2005 after nine years in the Navy, and now serves as the deputy coordinator for the US Navy Combat Stress Control program.  She lives in San Diego with her husband Mike, a former Marine Corps Harrier pilot, and 5-year-old twins Brian and Megan.

Author Jake Krapfl

Author Jake Krapfl is a local Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran, Student, and survivor of post traumatic stress disorder who speaks on his battle with the condtion and his experineces in the military.