Iowa National Guard senior leaders visit Kosovo
Iowa, Fort Dodge have ties to Balkan nation
-Submitted photo <br> Maj. Gen. Ben Corell, center, greets residents of Kosovo during his recent visit to that country. Iowa and Kosovo have partners since Iowa Army National Guard troops first went there as peacekeepers in 2003.
-Submitted photo <br> A member of the 132nd Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard, right, works with a member of the Kosovo Security Forces to treat a simulated patient during a large joint medical response exercise held recently in Kosovo.
-Submitted photo <br> Maj. Gen. Ben Corell, center, greets residents of Kosovo during his recent visit to that country. Iowa and Kosovo have partners since Iowa Army National Guard troops first went there as peacekeepers in 2003.
-Submitted photo <br> A member of the 132nd Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard, right, works with a member of the Kosovo Security Forces to treat a simulated patient during a large joint medical response exercise held recently in Kosovo.
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Iowa National Guard leaders wrapped up a weeklong visit to Kosovo to foster and strengthen the state partnership with the Kosovo Security Force this week.
Maj. Gen. Ben Corell, the adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, and Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Hjelmstad, the command senior enlisted leader, joined the Kosovo minister of defense, U.S. Embassy personnel and KSF members in touring several cities to learn more about Kosovo history, traditions and culture.
The Iowa Air National Guard's 132nd Wing, based out of Des Moines, also conducted a large joint medical exercise with the KSF. The exercise was the culmination of a five-year training cycle that included multiple bilateral training events. Corell, Hjelmstad and senior KSF leaders observed as the airmen and KSF troops worked side by side to focus on point of injury care, moving patients to a ROLE I hospital and then transporting the critically wounded to a higher level of care.
Fort Dodge has a Sister City relationship with Gjakova in Kosovo.
The Fort Dodge-Gjaokova connection grew from the relationship the Iowa National Guard developed with the Balkan nation. Troops from the Iowa Army National Guard were sent to Kosovo as peacekeepers in the early 2000s when a series of civil wars broke out as the former nation of Yugoslavia broke up. The Iowa troops were there in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. What began as a purely military connection evolved into broader ties between Iowa and Kosovo.
Fort Dodge and Gjakova became Sister Cities in 2016. Since that time representatives of the two cities have visited each other. This past summer an Iowa group, including Fort Dodge residents, traveled to Kosovo.
The latest military trip comes after a recent visit from KSF leadership to the U.S., during which the Iowa National Guard and KSF renewed their dedication to continue strengthening the partnership through training and cultural understanding. They had the opportunity to tour Camp Dodge facilities, observe a joint cyber competition at Iowa State University in Ames and recognize Iowa Army National Guard and KSF troops for their efforts during joint maneuver training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.
The Iowa National Guard is planning several more joint training events with the KSF in 2023.