Gov. Walz visits Minnesota National Guard troops in Kuwait
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Tim Walz is back from a weekend trip visiting Minnesota National Guard troops in Kuwait.
The 100 troops are providing human resources support for United States and Allied forces in the region.
The DFL governor says despite some tough years, Minnesota continues to lead the nation in guard recruiting.
It was his first-ever overseas visit to troops. Walz, himself a veteran of the guard, says it was inspiring.
"I can tell you that the training, and the clarity of the mission, the support that our troops are getting is second to none," Walz said.
The last two-and-a-half years have brought unconventional and dangerous deployments for the guard, from the streets of the Twin Cities after Georgre Floyd's murder, to staffing and providing vaccines to long-term care facilities at the height of the pandemic.
Adjutant General Shawn Manke says at first, he was "adamantly against" deploying troops to care facilities. But he said Monday that the governor is their commander in chief, and the deployments brought great satisfaction.
"Some of them, it's making them want to stay in the guard longer because they get that sense of being able to work in their community," Manke said.
Minnesota continues to lead the nation in guard recruiting. Walz says this time of year, it's important to not forget these troops.
"These are your neighbors, and they've got spouses back home, they've got children and family they're away from over the holidays," he said.
Last year, the legislature approved two bills expanding and increasing reenlistment bonuses for the Minnesota National Guard. Both the governor and the guard say they are continuing to look at incentives to boost recruitment even further.
One example they heard in Kuwait is providing dependents of guard troops with free credits at Minnesota colleges and universities.
For security reasons, the governor's trip was not made public until after he returned.