[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 197 (Thursday, November 19, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1055]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





        HONORING BERNIE STONE AS IOWAN, AND VETERAN, OF THE WEEK

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                           HON. CYNTHIA AXNE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2020

  Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, Veterans Day offers Americans time each 
year to reflect on the service and sacrifices of our veterans, 
reminding us of the freedoms and values we might take for granted other 
days. This is the week for us to pay our respects to those who have 
served and stand united in respect for our veterans. That is why today, 
I rise to honor a veteran who is a shining example of what it means to 
serve both in uniform and in his community. I am proud to recognize 
Bernie Stone as Iowan of the Week.
  Bernie is the City Leader and Co-Founder of the Des Moines Chapter of 
Bunker Labs where he equips, mentors, and connects veterans and 
military spouses with resources to get them on the path to a successful 
business. He loves to help people achieve their goals and strives to 
help veterans find meaning and purpose after service. Bunker Labs is a 
national network of veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs dedicated 
to helping the military connected community start their own business. 
They are committed to seeing that every entrepreneur in the military-
connected community has the network, tools, and resources they need.
  Bernie moved to Des Moines in 2015 after a 20-year Army career that 
ended at the Pentagon, where he served as a Russian affairs specialist. 
Throughout his military career Bernie gained high-level experience in 
foreign affairs and national security policy as well as extensive 
overseas experience in Europe, Central Asia, and East Asia. He has 
served in five U.S. Embassies and was awarded the Medal of Merit from 
the Republic of Lithuania.
  Bernie served our nation with honor and distinction. When he retired 
from military service and began the transition back into civilian life, 
he was surprised and disappointed to discover how difficult it was to 
find meaningful employment that would put his skills to use. Veterans 
find themselves in this circumstance all too often after service. In 
the face of that challenge, Bernie dedicated his skills to Bunker Labs 
so other veterans could overcome the same obstacle.
  Organizations like Bunker Labs and advocates for helping veterans 
gain meaningful employment and professional opportunity after military 
life show that our veterans have the grit, skills, and work ethic that 
can help any business grow and compete. It is important to thank 
veterans for their service and honor them with events and national 
observances, and even more important to help them find health, 
happiness, and success when they come home. I am committed to making 
sure our military families can reintegrate into civilian life, and I 
will continue to fight for legislation that ensures that our nation's 
veterans are taken care of.
  I thank Bernie and all of our veterans who have dedicated their lives 
to serving this great nation. It is my honor to recognize him as Iowan 
of the Week.

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