Gov. Asa Hutchinson wants veterans who serve in Arkansas to live here after their military service ends.
On Wednesday, during his speech at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, he announced the launch of Home Base Arkansas, an interactive employment database designed to keep veterans working and living in the state.
It's the latest part of a multiyear effort to attract military retirees to the Natural State, starting with legislation in 2017 that exempted military retirement benefits from state income taxes.
"Our community benefits when [veterans] make this state their home," he told the small, socially distanced crowd.
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The state has long provided benefits, but Hutchinson said they haven't been trumpeted loudly enough.
"We haven't marketed it very well," he said after the ceremony. "We wanted to have a central point to bring it all together and market it better. ... Some people who are working at Little Rock Air Force Base fall in love with Arkansas, and we want them to stay."
The website for Home Base Arkansas launched Wednesday, Hutchinson said. The program is designed to give veterans information about career opportunities and benefits that are available to them across the state to ease their transition into civilian or retirement life.
"Our veterans, retired military service members, and active-duty service members will bring a variety of skills and experiences that are unique to military service," Hutchinson said in a media release sent out by his office Wednesday morning. "They enhance a community in ways that no others can."
There are more than 202,000 veterans living in Arkansas and more than 33,600 veteran-owned businesses located in the state, according to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
One decorated Army officer has made Arkansas her home several times during her military career, and she was one of the featured speakers during Wednesday's ceremony.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Patricia Anslow, special assistant to the director of the Arkansas Army National Guard, once served as a battalion commander in Iraq. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Anslow's military career has brought her back to Arkansas several times, including most recently as an assistant adjutant general at the Army National Guard, a job she held from 2015 to 2016.
She said she wears the uniform to represent those who are still serving overseas and across the United States, but also "with respect for those who've come before us."
Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day, which commemorated the end of World War I, after which the world started seeing the United States as a "global power," Hutchinson said.
"So we gather every November to honor those individuals who answered the call," he told the crowd.
The Republican governor made a reference to last week's divisive election and its lingering aftermath. He said it was imperative that people work together and honor the democracy that so many men and women died defending.
"I am first an American, and I will support whatever the result is," he said to applause from the 50 or so in attendance.
He vowed to do his part "to make sure our democracy works well during this challenging time," adding that the country's form of government is resilient and will remain so during any transition.
"We cannot let down our guard," he said.