The following reflective piece is authored by Michael Ramos, a service-connected disabled Marine Corps veteran who describes his recent visit to Illinois and Iowa, and author of a previous post describing his visit to the U.S. earlier this year. Michael is an Illinois UOCAVA voter, resident of Australia, and proud member and former Chair of the Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families (VMF) Caucus. 

It’s been a few years since I was last in Illinois. In mid-July 2026, I was fortunate enough to spend three weeks there, and the following piece is a brief summary of my reflections from that trip, with highlights of interest to the military/veteran-connected reading audience.

I flew in to Chicago on July 12th, then rented a car to drive across the state to visit my sister and other family members. After I arrived in Rock Island County (where my U.S. voting address is located) three hours later, I had an ambitious agenda planned to visit several local places and events for the limited time I would be there.

One of the first things I did was go on-base to the Rock Island Arsenal—a U.S. military installation on the Mississippi River. After stocking up on American foods at the commissary and doing a little clothing shopping at the PX, I then donated blood at the Rock Island Arsenal Museum. This museum is the second-oldest Army museum in the nation, and tells the fascinating tale of how the base came to be from its early days in the 1800s to the modern gem it is today. Every time I return stateside, I always make an effort to try and donate blood with the hopes that it proves useful for any service member who may be in need of it, and this trip was no exception.

I then decided to pay a visit to the local VA Vet Center in East Moline, Illinois, and participate in its veteran art therapy session. I was given a small canvas and a variety of acrylic paints, and told to paint “anything” within the one-hour time frame, so I decided to paint a map of the local area I was in which included veteran-centric places.

I also attended my local VFW (Post #8890) monthly meeting to explain the current veterans legislative situation and to urge for all of the post’s members and its auxiliary to contact their U.S. representative and U.S. senators and oppose the horrible GOP bill pending in Congress known as the mis-named, “Take Care of America’s Veterans Act.” 

A few days later, my request for a health care appointment was approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs, so I dropped in to VA’s facility in Davenport, Iowa, to receive a few different vaccinations. However, the administrative bureaucracy in getting VA to authorize appointments for veterans who live abroad is very real. Unfortunately, my requests for other health-related appointments were not met in time during my stay, despite me having requested such appointments over two months ago. Still, VA’s medical staff does fantastic work but the administrative side of things can be an outright nightmare. VA absolutely must do better, and I hope the soon-to-be Democratic majority in Congress holds the VA Secretary’s feet to the fire when he testifies next year.

One of the best highlights of my trip was meeting up with my old buddy, Derek. He and I were colleagues two decades ago when we both worked in the same congressional office. He continues his public service working for a Democratic Member of Congress, and I’m grateful we had a chance to catch up and talk politics and the concerns of constituents residing abroad.

Later that day, I attended my local Democratic Party meeting for elected and appointed Democratic precinct committee members. I am fortunate to have served as a precinct committeeman since 2020, even from afar, and I take the role seriously and do everything I can to help pump out the vote among voters in my home-based voting precinct. At this particular meeting, I was honored to be the guest speaker and proud to talk to my local Democratic colleagues about UOCAVA voting and directing folks to VoteFromAbroad.org. As a bonus surprise, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs unexpectedly dropped in to the meeting and gave us all a motivating GOTV speech!

I also laid a wreath on behalf of the VMF Caucus at the final resting place of Rosemary Robinson, a WWII veteran buried at the Rock Island National Cemetery. I highly recommend that all VMF members visit either a national cemetery when stateside, or an ABMC cemetery when overseas, to reflect on the tremendous sacrifices of those who have worn the uniform of our nation. These sacred grounds are filled with our country’s fallen heroes and the landscaping is beautifully kept in a respectable manner.

Towards the end of my trip, I was in Chicago volunteering with a pro-military families non-profit organization and attended a major conference. On the third day of the conference, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit and fully explore the new Barack Obama Presidential Center. In short, this place is incredible. The Center is a place all Americans should aspire to visit at some point, and I definitely will be returning with my family so they too can enjoy this national treasure.

I have dozens of more photos from this trip which include visiting a VA Vet Center in Rockford, Illinois, a military recruiting office in Chicago, giving a public speech at my local county fair and urging voters to support local Democratic candidates, and more. Overall, this was a terrific visit stateside and I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to canvass my electoral precinct and reach out to all the Democratic voters residing there. 

At this time, I’m unsure when my next U.S. trip will be. But whenever it does happen, I’m confident our country will be in a better position than what it currently is under this incompetent, GOP-led Congress and White House, and it will be because of fellow activists and advocates who understand that Democrats are the party of solid leadership, and because we organized from the grassroots to reclaim our country from MAGA extremists.

As mentioned in my previous post from May 2026, I urge all VMF members to contact [email protected] to let us know what voting- or veteran-related things you did when visiting back home. Our caucus members are incredible and do amazing work such as getting out the vote, helping raise awareness of important issues, and so much more. Let us share your stories!