Melinda is the spouse of a combat veteran, Brock Conway. He was part of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. His unit performed what was supposed to be a non-combat evacuation of almost 300 diplomats and their families from war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia. He went on to serve in recon missions over the Faylakah Islands off the coast of Kuwait in Desert Storm.
Melinda knows first hand; the challenges veterans and their families face. Their sacrifice continues long after the wars end. Melinda supports rural access and improved care in the new bill sponsored by Sen. Jon Tester. Melinda supports the continuation of the GI bill that extends education to recent Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans’ spouses. She believes in this down economy, when veterans face higher unemployment than the general population; these education dollars are vital to Montana veterans and their families.