T-R PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER Frontlines United board members met with U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) last Thursday, April 25, at Harper’s Public House in downtown Dysart. Those pictured include (l-r) Josh Ewoldt, Casey Schmidt, Rep. Hinson, Ian Wheeldon, Richard Morgan, and Logan Seye.

DYSART – On Thursday, April 25, five members of the active duty military/veterans/first responders organization Frontlines United Inc. sat down with U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) at Harper’s Public House in Dysart and put on their thinking caps in a joint effort to increase the local group’s reach.

For the past two years, the nonprofit organization founded by veteran Ian Wheeldon of Traer and Tama County Sheriff’s Deputy Casey Schmidt of Dysart has been mostly focused on fundraising. To that end, during Frontlines United’s second annual gala and prime rib dinner held on April 20, more than 180 people showed up, raising nearly $35,000 for the organization which works to reunite active duty military, veterans, and first responders.

But now the fledgling organization is at a crossroads — they’re ready to make more of those reunions happen both locally and across the country.

The roughly 45-minute meet-up on Thursday began with Hinson learning a bit more about the organization’s roots from Wheeldon and Schmidt.

“We obviously quickly realized that there’s a national reach to it. … The guys and gals you serve with are all over the country once you’re done serving,” Schmidt said at one point. “For law enforcement, for fire, for first responders, whatever it may be, we realized that getting folks together has that national reach.”

Schmidt and Wheeldon went on to explain what sets their organization apart from similar organizations – organizations such as Iowa Veterans Outdoor Experience based in Solon, Iowa, or Oklahoma-based Foundation for Exceptional Warriors — is not only the inclusion of first responders but the open-ended nature of Frontlines United’s reunions.

“We made it our goal as an organization to not narrow [to] a specific reunion – like a hunting trip,” Schmidt said. “We want to open it up to a broad audience.”

Whether that experience be a fishing trip in Florida, a weekend meet-up, or even just a cup of coffee at Harper’s, Schmidt said Frontlines United is willing to help make that happen.

“I kind of have it down to — we’re like a travel agency,” Schmidt said. “If there’s a reunion that needs to take place or somebody gets nominated to have a reunion, we’ll pay for the airfare, the gas, the hotel, the food side of it, all of it. And that’s what we want to do – we want to make it [as] painless as possible.”

This past winter, Frontlines United stepped up in a big way for one local veteran — Iowa Land Management owner Jeremy Sills, who lives in rural Dysart with his young family.

“We had a local friend reach out, Jeremy Sills, and he gave us some bad news that one of his shipmates from the Navy had committed suicide,” Wheeldon told Hinson. “He asked if we could do anything to help out and he started sending us names of guys — numbers for people that might have some trouble with traveling and things like that.”

Wheeldon went on to explain that Frontlines United helped pay for 13 veterans and/or friends to attend their fellow shipmate’s funeral which took place in Madison, Wisconsin.

“There [were] a couple guys from California, Oregon, a few from Boston, Oklahoma, Kansas, a couple from around Iowa – it was across the country. … It was a very good thing to help out, but it really sucked under the circumstances.”

“[A terrible thing] turned into a good thing because they had the ability to be together while they were mourning their shipmate,” Schmidt said, circling back to the story a little later in the discussion. “Our goal is to get large enough where we don’t have to worry about the bottom dollar. We don’t have to say no to somebody that’s in need. We’re still growing and trying to get our name out there and just let people know what we’re about and why we’re about it.”t

Heads together

By meeting with Rep. Hinson last week, Frontlines United’s board members had hoped they might benefit from some of the Congresswoman’s valuable connections as they work to broaden their organization’s reach.

“As a group we don’t have any issue going to people and asking for money,” Wheeldon told Hinson. “It’s the issue of finding people to help … Getting our information and our name and what we’re about out to people has been the biggest issue that we’ve had so far.”

Wheeldon went on to explain that sharing on social media and word of mouth has not led to an “overwhelming [number] of nominees yet” — something they’d like to change in the near future.

Among the many outreach ideas suggested by Hinson and members of her staff, reaching out to every County VSO (Veteran Service Officer) in Iowa piqued the board’s interest in particular.

“We’re brainstorming here, you should reach out to the Veterans Affairs committee chairs at the state level, too,” Hinson said. “They are always looking for ways that they can help get the word out.”

Toward the end of the brainstorming session, Frontlines United board member Richard Morgan asked Hinson, “I don’t know if you’re familiar with KWWL?”

“Oh, yeah,” Hinson – a former broadcast journalist who once worked at KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids – replied with a laugh.

Morgan said he had been thinking it might be worth the organization’s while to reach out to KWWL news anchor Ron Steele for inclusion on his weekly news and public affairs program The Steele Report.

“I can text him after, I have his number,” Hinson offered enthusiastically.

Later she added of Steele, “We were competitors at one time” – a comment which drew a healthy round of laughter from those seated around the tables.

In addition to contacting Steele, Hinson also offered to put Frontlines United’s pamphlets in all her offices.

One of Hinson’s final recommendations was to reach out to U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard following 23 years of military service.

“I talk to her all the time so I’ll make sure to let her know,” Hinson said. “She’s a pretty cool chick.”

Cool or otherwise, hopefully soon with the help of Hinson, Ernst, and even Ron Steele, folks across the country will come to know Frontlines United and its mission of reuniting active duty military, veterans, and first responders.

For more information on Frontlines United including how to nominate someone for a reunion or to donate, refer to the organization’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090424309180, or send an email to frontlinesunited@gmail.com or info@frontlinesunitedinc.org.

If you’re having thoughts of suicide or self harm, or know someone who is, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support all hours, seven days a week. Text or call 988 for help.