Alabama Governor to be named Patriot of the Year

MOBILE – Governor Bob Riley will be named Patriot of the Year for his service to veterans during a ceremony on Wednesday by the Mobile Bay Area Veterans Day Commission.
Governor Riley is the first Alabama governor to receive the honor.
The award will be presented to Governor Riley during the annual Veterans Day Honors Lunch at Fort Whiting Auditorium. As Patriot of the Year, the Governor will serve as Grand Marshal of the Mobile Veterans Day Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Previous Patriot of the Year recipients include General James Doolittle, U.S. Senator Jeremiah Denton, Admiral Thomas Moorer, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, astronaut Alan Sheppard, former NATO Commander General Wesley Clark and Congressman Sonny Montgomery.
The committee that nominated Governor Riley for the honor is comprised of the Mobile Bay Area Council of Military Organizations, veterans groups such as the VFW and American Legion, and military-oriented organizations such as the Navy League, the Military Officers Association, and the Air Force Association.
“To be recognized by veterans, America’s heroes, truly means a lot to me,” said Governor Riley. “This is an honor I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Retired U.S. Army Colonel Patrick Downing, chairman of the selection committee, said Governor Riley is receiving the honor for his strong support of the military in general and veterans in particular.
“He’s just done so much for veterans in Alabama,” Downing was quoted as saying in the Mobile Press-Register.
During his two terms in office, Governor Riley has compiled a strong record on veterans’ issues.
After complaints about conditions in the state’s three veterans’ nursing homes, Governor called for public hearings and signed a competitively bid contract that brought new and better management and better care to veterans in the nursing homes.
Governor Riley has lead efforts with the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs to secure approval and funding for construction of a new veterans’ home, which is being built in Pell City.
In 2004, he created Operation Grateful Heart, a statewide initiative to show appreciation and support for Alabama troops deployed overseas and their families back home. The program was the first of its kind in the nation.
His administration created the Reintegration Action Plan to help returning service members successfully make the transition from overseas deployments back into life at home.
Governor Riley signed into law a bill establishing the first state-run veterans’ cemetery.
The Governor’s administration and the U.S. departments of Labor, Defense and Veterans Affairs hosted the nation’s first-ever National Summit on Wounded and Injured Veterans in 2006. Governor Riley also signed an agreement between Operation Grateful Heart and the Lakeshore Foundation to help severely injured veterans who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, two bills Governor Riley proposed became law, allowing veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to obtain distinctive license plates honoring their service.
The Patriot of the Year award is not the first time veterans have honored Governor Riley. In 2005, Governor Riley became the only governor in the nation and the first Alabamian to receive the VFW’s Medal of Merit and Citation, the group’s highest national honor for civilians.

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