In the past decade, thousands of Iowa citizen-soldiers have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, many of them leaving their families and jobs for multiple deployments. As Veterans Day approaches, the Business Record shares the stories of three seasoned citizen-soldiers who work in Greater Des Moines.

Bill Kelly, an attorney with the Davis Brown Law Firm, went from litigating cases in court to advising a commander on the intricacies of international law when engaging the Taliban. Read story

Another soldier, Trevor Tomkins, who works as a project manager for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., used his experience to manage the critical flow of supplies for troops in Afghanistan. Read story

Kerry Studer, a commercial real estate specialist with Principal Global Investors, spent a year commanding a 300-man transportation unit that ferried supplies across Iraq. Read story

Based on recommendations by Kelly and Studer, Davis Brown and Principal were recognized with 2011 Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Governor’s Awards for their support of employees during deployments. In April, both Nationwide and Davis Brown received the Pro Patria Award, the highest recognition bestowed by the Iowa ESGR on an employer, based on recommendations by Tomkins and Kelly.