Northeast Iowa resident to get Iowa DAR Medal of Honor

The Iowa Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution has announced it will present its 2012 Medal of Honor to Elma native Patrick Palmersheim on April 7th.

Governor Thomas Vilsack appointed Patrick Palmersheim Executive Director of the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs in January 2002.  The agency later became the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs.  Palmersheim served as its director until 2010.

Palmersheim's leadership made Iowa the first state in America to pass legislation giving nursing homes the opportunity to report their residents who were veterans, spouses, widows, widowers, and dependents with potential eligibility for Federal Veterans Administration benefits. This saved the state untold Medicaid costs.

Palmersheim also pushed for the creation of a veterans cemetery for Iowa.  The cemetery groundbreaking was in November 2006. The Iowa Veterans Cemetery provides a final resting place for over 80,000 veterans from anywhere in America.

Said the DAR, "Patrick's advocacy and tireless dedication for the well being of veterans embodies the spirit of the Daughters of the American Revolution Medal of Honor award.