A platoon of veterans warning that global climate change creates potential national security threats wrapped up their North Carolina bus tour in Charlotte this morning.

The Veterans for American Power Tour was scheduled to stop at the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial on East 3rd Street in Charlotte at 10 a.m. today, with Anthony Foxx, city councilman and Democratic candidate for mayor, speaking.

The tour was organized by Operation Free, a coalition of veterans and national security groups trying to raise awareness about the national security threats posed by climate change and the importance of an economy that's not tied to fossil fuels.

The group stopped in Raleigh, Fayetteville and Greensboro on Wednesday.

Sen. Richard Burr will be part of a small congressional delegation who will lead the Memorial Day Ceremonies at the Normandy American Cemetery in France.

The Winston-Salem Republican will deliver a speech and help lay a wreath in honor of the thousands of American servicemen who lost their lives during the D Day invasion and its aftermath during World War II.

Burr, who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, will be going with Senators Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Rep. John Kline of Minnesota.

The trip is being sponsored by the Senate Intelligence Committee and the delegation will also visit other unspecified countries.

The Military Veterans Caucus is the largest in the legislature.

The bipartisan caucus is made up of 64 "military veterans, those who represent a district with military interest, and others with a particular interest in military affairs," according to a press release from Speaker Joe Hackney's office.

This year, it includes 49 representatives and 15 senators.

That makes it bigger than the 30-member Legislative Black Caucus as well as the 43 women in the legislature.

The caucus' steering committee is made up of Democratic Sen. Bob Atwater, Republican Sens. Harry Brown and Pete Brunstetter, Democratic Reps. Larry Hall and Grier Martin and Republican Rep. Ric Killian.

Atwater served in the Air Force; Brunsetter, in the Navy; Hall, in the Marines. Martin and Killian are Army reservists and Brown's district includes Camp Lejeune.

The caucus will meet for the first time this session next week.

After the jump, the members.

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The N.C. Veterans Council has set its sights higher.

Despite the proliferation of bills giving new perks to active-duty and retired members of the military, the coalition of state veterans groups is pushing for three more substantial bills:

* Studying traumatic brain injury. The state Institute of Medicine would study mental health services for injured veterans.

* Extending tax exemptions on military pensions. Veterans with pensions that began before 1989 do not pay state income tax. This bill would extend that benefit to all vets.

* Creating a Cabinet veterans position. The state Division of Veterans Affairs would be elevated to a Cabinet-level position appointed by the governor.

Bruce Edwards, a retired Army colonel who heads the state Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the tax exemption may be the toughest sell, but he argued it would attract a lot of retirees to the state.

He said the other perks — which include free tours of state museums and free parking — are nice, but they're not the main mission right now.

"It's all good," he said. "But those are the three big ones."

Several more bills are aimed at helping veterans.

As previously noted, the state legislature is considering a number of proposals to help current and former members of the military.

A few more recently filed bills would:

* Encourage state and local government to use small contractors who are veterans;

* Exempt pay to National Guard members and reservists from the state income tax;

* Create a special license plate for graduates of U.S. military academies;

* Fund an N.C. Military Business Center office in Boone;

* Get Medicaid funds for traumatic brain injuries; and

* Study mental health services for veterans.

State legislators want to help out members of the military.

Several bills filed so far this session would give extra benefits to members of the military:

* Tour the battleship U.S.S. North Carolina without paying for a ticket;

* Get credit for law enforcement training if they served in the military police;

* Waive the commercial drivers test if they operated heavy machinery in the military;

* Renew drivers licenses early or late if they are deployed overseas;

* Receive bigger disability benefits;

* Visit state museums for free;

* Receive free parking with a license plate for partially disabled veterans;

* Get in-state tuition for their dependents if they are killed on duty while assigned to North Carolina; and

* Visit state parks for free if they are disabled veterans.

In addition, other bills would fund military family assistance centers, create an N.C. Korean War Veterans Memorial in Mint Hill and run military business centers at state community colleges.

Another bill would allow members of the N.C. National Guard to study at state community colleges for free. 

An advisory group is worried about the future of the state's military bases.

In a nine-page report for Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue, a group of retired military officials, state legislators and others argued that Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg and other bases face some hurdles.

The report notes that all of the bases are now located within cities, causing a potential for friction with local government. On a related note, it cautions that the area around the bases could be developed in ways that are "incompatible" with military uses, limiting their future expansion. 

"Only if the (U.S. Department of Defense) continues to perceive its North Carolina facilities as desirable will North Carolina continue to reap the benefits of economic development opportunities," the report says.

Participants were also interested in promoting existing military contracts among existing state businesses, getting community colleges and state universities more involved in military training and research, and replacing National Guard equipment damaged overseas.

A third major area of concern was qualify of life for members of the military.

The group said veterans hospitals need to work harder to meet the needs of female veterans, health care benefits should be available throughout the state and state taxes on military pensions should be lifted. 

As previously noted, the report called for a Cabinet secretary on military affairs.

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's press office is pretty chatty lately.

In the past 10 days, the Winston-Salem Republican has issued seven press releases announcing grants to North Carolina fire departments and local government agencies, congratulating Iredell-Statesville schools on an award and reminding veterans about travel deals, among other things.

The releases are perhaps the opening salvo in the 2010 elections.

After watching Sen. Elizabeth Dole lose her seat in the face of criticism that she did not tend to North Carolina enough, Burr is making sure his work in the state gets noticed.

N.C. Rep. Nelson Dollar, a Cary Republican, is being hit with a mailer paid for by the N.C. Democratic Party that claims he's no friend to military veterans.

The mailer shows a man with a prosthetic arm — its pincers clasping a small U.S. flag. "He Served With Honor," the ad says. "But Nelson Dollar Cut His Benefits," Dan Kane reports.

Dollar said today that the claim is "patently false."

"The Democrats have used images of our veterans and men and women in uniform in a way that is disrespectful of their service to our nation," Dollar said in a news release. "These mailers fail to cite any bills or votes to back up their claims and I can assure you in my four years in the House no bill has reached the Floor which would 'slash any veteran's benefits.'"

He cited several bills that he supported that helped veterans and the military, including a property tax break for disabled veterans that was included in this year's state budget.

Democratic Party spokeswoman Kerra Bolton said the party stands by the mailer.

She cited his vote against the previous year's budget, which included money for programs and services that benefit military families and help foster economic development in military communities, but she did not mention anything that amounted to a cut in veterans' benefits.

More after the jump.

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Sen. Elizabeth Dole said her husband hit the ceiling when he found out that former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland wrongly accused her last month of voting against the new G.I. bill giving benefits to veterans.

Both Cleland, a Democrat and former Sen. Bob Dole, a Republican, have a bond because both were grievously wounded war veterans, Rob Christensen reports.

At a news conference at VFW headquarters in Raleigh Cleland wrongly accused Elizabeth Dole of voting against the G.I. bill, during a campaign appearance with Democrat Kay Hagan. He corrected himself at a North Carolina event the next day.

"My husband went berserk on that one," Dole said. "To be honest, he called up Max and reminded him that he did not go into Georgia to campaign against him. Frankly, he resented Max coming in here aginst his wife. He said, 'Max, you didn't tell the truth.'"