3:56 a.m. - North Dakota's National Guard commander asked lawmakers Thursday to continue a tradition stretching back to World War I: service bonuses for North Dakota's military veterans.

The proposed $5 million aid package would do more than help military families who endure economic hardship during long deployments, Maj. Gen. Mike Haugen said.

"It is also a way for the public to again say, 'Thank you,"' Haugen said.

The measure would pay North Dakotans up to $1,800 for service in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and for deployments to Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Haiti, Haugen said.

Soldiers could be paid up to $900 for active duty in the United States, or for service in foreign countries where they faced little threat of combat.

The measure also authorizes the state to pay $2,500 to North Dakotans who receive a Purple Heart, and to the survivors of veterans killed in action.

The payments match a similar package that lawmakers approved for veterans of the Persian Gulf War, Haugen said.

The measure was endorsed unanimously Thursday by members of the Senate Government and Veterans Affairs Committee. It now goes to the full Senate for a vote.

"We hear of many veterans returning home that have trouble adjusting to a normal life," said one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Harvey Tallackson, D-Grafton. "I sincerely hope that this will help them."

The National Guard says about 1,730 Army Guard soldiers are currently eligible for the bonuses, along with about 1,000 North Dakotans serving in reserve or active-duty units.

Those numbers are likely to increase in the next few years, Haugen said.

"We're not done. There's probably going to be more mobilizations," he said.

About 550 members of the North Dakota Guard are serving in Iraq, Haugen said. Ten servicemen from the state or serving with North Dakota military units have died while on duty there.

The bill is SB2146.