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9/26/2012
IOWA NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION

Iowa bankers meet Medal of Honor recipient Sal Giunta and sign statements of support to honor National Guard and Reserve members

JOHNSTON, Iowa (Sept. 26, 2012) - Approximately 30 Iowa bankers signed statements of support for the National Guard and Reserve after hearing Medal of Honor recipient Sal Giunta speak during the Iowa Bankers Association's (IBA) annual convention Sept. 17 at Veteran's Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines. A native of Iowa, Giunta was awarded the Medal of Honor for his service during an attack by insurgent forces in Afghanistan in 2007. He is the first living recipient of the honor since the Vietnam War.

"It is truly an honor to meet Sal Giunta. Hearing about his harrowing experience makes you appreciate the commitment of our country's service men and women, and his bravery is an inspiration," said John Sorensen, president and CEO of the IBA. "It is also an honor for our member banks to have the opportunity to show their support of those who serve our country, and I am proud to see Iowa bankers signing statements of support for the National Guard and Reserve."

The following Iowa banks signed statements with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) during the convention:

Bank Midwest, Spirit Lake

Cedar Valley Bank & Trust, La Porte City

Cherokee State Bank, Cherokee

Community Bank, Dunlap

Community Bank, Indianola

Community National Bank, Waterloo

Decorah Bank & Trust Co, Decorah

Fairfax State Savings Bank, Fairfax

Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank, Lone Tree

Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank, Manchester

Farmers Savings Bank & Trust, Traer

Farmers State Bank, Keota

Federation Bank, Washington

Fidelity Bank & Trust, Dubuque

First National Bank, Creston

First National Bank, Greenfield

First State Bank, Sumner

Green Belt Bank & Trust, Iowa Falls

Iowa State Bank, Wapello

Iowa State Savings Bank, Creston

Keystone Savings Bank, Marengo

KSB Bank, Keokuk

Liberty Trust & Savings Bank, Durant

Lincoln Savings Bank, Reinbeck

Maquoketa State Bank, Maquoketa

Peoples Savings Bank, Crawfordsville

Peoples Savings Bank, Wellsburg

Security State Bank, Independence

US Bank, Dubuque

Washington State Bank, Washington

Richard Rue, chair of the Iowa ESGR, said, "I wish to thank the IBA for the outstanding support they have shown for the ESGR organization and our veterans. This was a very moving tribute, and I appreciate Iowa banks' commitment to our men and women in uniform. I have been doing this for about eight years now and have never seen such an outpouring of support."

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About the Iowa ESGR

The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense organization organized by state established to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law and resolving conflicts.

About the Iowa Bankers Association

The Iowa Bankers Association represents Iowa's 341 banks and savings institutions. Iowa bankers are committed to the Iowa values of honesty, hard work and community service, and have been a trusted resource for Iowans for more than 100 years. Iowa banks offer FDIC insurance and lend more than $41 billion to help individuals, business owners and agriculture. Nearly 15,000 Iowans work at an Iowa bank, and Iowa banks donate more than $35 million and 874,000 volunteer hours to support local communities each year. To learn more about Iowa banks, visit MyIowaBank.com.

(Contact: Lori Ristau, IBA Vice President, Marketing & Communications, 515-286-4316, lristau@iowabankers.com)

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	Pictured left to right: Richard Rue, chair of the Iowa ESGR, and John Sorensen, president and CEO of the Iowa Bankers Association.