Col. Richard Fischer presents Mackenzie Frost, 8, with a flag flown in Iraq, during a special school assembly at Hawthorne Elementary School in Waukesha. Frost's father was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq in 2008. She and the other members of Girl Scout Troop 2653 sent Girl Scout cookies to U.S. service members deployed oversees. She wrote a letter telling of her father's love of the cookies and his death in Iraq, to which the service members responded, sending her a care package which included the flag...

Photo Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff

In this day and age, when "best of" lists seemingly come out every day, Madison has landed on a list that most living here probably wouldn't think of: where to live if you've retired from the military.

In the first ranking of its kind, Madison is No. 7 in "best places for military retirement," according to the study commissioned by USAA and Military.com.

"Madison has a wealth of amenities that make it attractive to those who have served our country, and it's an honor to be included on this list," Deb Archer, president of the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in a news release.

By Gena Kittner

Janell Kellett of Sun Prairie was keeping a secret as she shopped for a new outfit this month, explaining to the saleswoman only that she needed something appropriate for a "political event in Washington, D.C."

Now, she's happy to tell anyone who asks -- she'll sit with first lady Michelle Obama at the State of the Union address on Wednesday.

"I'm so excited," Kellett said from the Dane County Regional Airport on Tuesday. "My husband just returned home from Baghdad. Two weeks ago he was in Iraq and now we're traveling to the White House."

Kellett, 39, whose husband, Maj. Michael Hanson, serves in the Wisconsin National Guard's 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, was chosen for her work as lead volunteer for the brigade's Family Readiness Group.

Lt. Col. Tim Donovan

BAGHDAD - It's been a long deployment for 3,200-plus soldiers of the Wisconsin National Guard's 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, but it is finally coming to an end.

Beginning Tuesday, the first of many chartered airliners will touch down at a Wisconsin airfield and Red Arrow soldiers will begin planting their boots back on the ground in their home state after completing their service in Iraq.