After more than 10 years of hard work and half a million dollars in donations, Pottawattamie County has a new veteran affairs office.
It’s an emotional day for Iowa combat veterans.
"It's a special day,” said World War II Army Combat Veteran David Appel. “It's good to know we aren't forgotten."
Seventy-one years and three months since Appel came back from fighting three years in the Pacific Theater of World War II, he stood in a building built for veterans like him, made possible by donations from his community.
"I appreciate you doing all this for us regardless of which war you were in,” Appel said. “One war is not any more important than another. It's something that had to be done."
Like Appel, Korean War Army Combat Veteran Herbert Roc says Friday was overwhelming.
"Hits me kind of deep because I thought it was my duty and it... I well up quite a bit when they do that,” Roc said.
The new Pottawattamie County Veteran Affairs Office has nearly four times more space than the old office, which operated out of an old church for more than 50 years.
The new 6,300-square-foot facility has the space to service hundreds of more veterans in need of short and long-term emergency services.
"It makes you feel good,” Appel said. “It really does."
Iowa is one of the most dedicated states to U.S. armed services, said Steven Altman, Iowa National Guard Commanding General.
While Iowa contributes about 1 percent of the U.S. population, 2 percent of U.S. armed forces are from Iowa.
