U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced Tuesday that she has retired from the military after 23 years of service. In a statement, she called her time in the military one of her "greatest honors," but noted that the decision will provide her with the opportunity to focus on her work as senator and spend time with her family, according to the New York Times.
"The decision to hang up my uniform after more than two decades in the military is not one I have made lightly and has been incredibly difficult," Ernst said. "However, this decision provides me with a greater opportunity to continue meeting with, hearing from and serving Iowans in my capacity as a United States Senator, as well as spending more time with my family."
During her 23 years of service with the U.S. Army Reserves and Iowa Army National Guard, one of her defining roles was serving as company commander of a unit tasked with running convoys through Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, reported WQUAD-TV. Her husband is a retired Army Ranger.
Ernst was a Lieutenant Colonel when she officially retired on Nov. 30, 2015 and is currently serving her first term in the U.S. Senate, according to The Des Moine Register. One of Iowa's two Republican senators, she was elected in 2014 after a campaign that emphasized her military experience.
