Guest column by Ohio State Senator Jon Husted

   Ohio is home to one of our nation's largest veteran populations, and while we can never fully show our appreciation for their dedication, Veteran's Day marks a time to honor the courage and sacrifice of our nation's servicemen and women and their families. During my time in both the Ohio House and Senate, we have worked to show our support for this noblest of services.

   We all must do what we can to ensure that those who have and are currently serving in our Armed Forces are honored for their sacrifices, and it is especially incumbent upon elected officials to support our veterans and their service.

   During my time as Speaker of the Ohio House, the legislature approved a comprehensive veterans' package designed to ease the financial burden on Ohio's servicemen and women and their families. At the forefront of this legislation was a provision to exempt military pensions from our state's income tax. This provision helps the more than 35,000 Ohio veterans reduce their tax burdens. Further, this legislation helps veterans transition back into the workplace by giving those returning home from service a six-month period to renew professional licenses that may have expired. The package also waives probate court fees for military families who made the ultimate sacrifice and lost a loved one.

   While education for all Ohioans is of the utmost importance to the future success and prosperity of our state, providing access to education for our veterans is especially important. Servicemen and women oftentimes put their educations on hold in order to serve our nation, and that is why I remain a strong advocate for increased accessibility to educational opportunities for veterans. I have supported providing high school diplomas to veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. I also strongly support Ohio's National Guard Scholarship Program and funding for the War Orphans Scholarship.

   In addition to these important reforms, I believe our state was in a position to do a better job connecting our veterans with disability benefits, pension payments and other resources available to them. That is why I supported the creation of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. The Department's mission is to actively identify, connect with and advocate for veterans and their families, and make Ohio a place our past and present servicemen and women want to call home.

   I am extremely proud of the work we have done to help pass initiatives that help Ohio's servicemen and women and their families. Our veterans are invaluable to our democracy, and make enormous sacrifices to ensure we enjoy freedom and safety, and we want to support their efforts. Our veterans also enrich our society, and we not only want to support them, we want them to stay in Ohio and continue to make our state a better place for future generations.

   On November 11, Veterans' Day, please join me in remembering and honoring our military personnel for the commitment they have made.

   Jon Husted is currently a Senator, representing Ohio's 6th Senate District in suburban Montgomery County. Sen. Husted is also a candidate for Secretary of State.