State of Montana Newsroom
Gov. Gianforte Honors Remaining 2024 Veteran Commendation Recipients in Helena
Nominations for 2025 award are open until October 20
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today held a ceremony at the State Capitol in Helena to honor the remaining recipients of the 2024 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation.
The award recognizes veterans who have selflessly served in uniform and made positive impacts in their communities. Since 2021, more than 170 veterans have received the honor. As the governor traveled the state on his 56 County Tour this year, he held ceremonies in communities across Montana to honor 51 recipients of the 2024 award.
“When I served you in Congress, I was proud to start this tradition of recognizing outstanding Montana veterans and as governor, I’ve been thrilled to have continued this tradition for the past four years,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We owe our veterans an eternal debt of gratitude, and they deserve our recognition. The three veterans we’ll recognize here today are among only 51 recipients of the award this year.”
Gov. and First Lady Gianforte honoring U.S. Army veteran Eric Rydbom (left), U.S. Army veteran Perry Brown (middle), and U.S. Navy veteran Todd Dunlap (right) with the 2024 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation in Helena
In the rotunda, the governor hosted the three recipients and their family and friends to receive a Montana state flag flown over the Capitol in their honor and a letter recognizing their service.
Honoring U.S. Army veteran Lieutenant Colonel Eric Rydbom of Sidney, Gov. Gianforte outlined his military career marked by two deployments into active war zones and his work to build schools and wells in South America. After returning home, Rydbom continued to serve his community as a special education teacher in Sidney and history teacher in Circle, while also stepping in as a lay pastor for churches in eastern Montana and helping raise thousands of dollars for his community.
Next, the governor recognized U.S. Army and Vietnam veteran Sergeant Perry Brown of Helena. As president of the Lewis and Clark Veterans Council East Helena Honor Guard, Brown leads the team that honors our fallen veterans at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Harrison, ensuring every veteran is laid to rest with dignity.
The final recipient was U.S. Navy veteran Master Chief Todd Dunlap, who served for 23 years with multiple deployments to the Persian Gulf and South America, most notably flying to Iraq just six days after the birth of his daughter. After retiring from the Navy, Dunlap returned home to Montana to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for the VA Healthcare Administration Services at Fort Harrison. In his current role, he serves as the Director of Military and Veteran Affairs for Senator Tim Sheehy, R-Montana.
Concluding the ceremony, the governor thanked veterans’ families and friends for their support before noting that nominations are open for the 2025 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation. The deadline to nominate a veteran for the 2025 award is Monday, October 20, 2025. The recipients will be announced on Veterans Day and honored in ceremonies across the state in 2026. To learn more about the commendation and to nominate a Montana veteran, visit recognizeveterans.mt.gov.
A video recording of the Helena ceremony can be viewed here.
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