(Washington D.C.) - Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus announced today his newest Defender of Freedom Fellow, U.S. Marine Corporal Jonas Rides At The Door of Browning, MT.

"Jonas is a true hero - he has been recognized many times for his bravery and service to Montana and America." Baucus said. "Having recently transitioned from the Marine Corp to the classroom, Jonas knows firsthand the challenges veterans often face upon returning to civilian life, and I know he will bring his experience to the table to improve the lives of veterans across Montana."

Rides At The Door deployed to Iraq three times as a heavy machine gunner infantryman with the Marine Corps.  On his first and second deployments Jonas served with the 2nd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment. On his third deployment he served with the 1st Tank Battalion TOW platoon. He was an active participant in the first Battle of Fallujah in 2004. During his first deployment, he was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) on July 2, 2004. He has been awarded two Navy and Marine Corp Achievement Medals, the Combat Action Ribbon in Iraq, the Purple Heart, and many other citations. Rides At The Door was meritoriously promoted once in 2003 and eventually achieved the rank of Corporal before leaving the Marines in 2007.

"After serving my country in the Marines, I wanted to continue my service as a veteran by making sure that once my fellow service members decided to hang up their boots, they were going to be taken care of. I'm thankful Senator Baucus is extending this fellowship opportunity to Montana veterans and am honored and privileged to have been selected. Having done three deployments to Iraq as an infantryman, then immediately having to transition back into civilian life, I am well aware of the hardships veterans face when navigating through the Veteran Affairs and educational systems. I hope to bring many issues to light, and find practical solutions, while informing veterans of the hard earned benefits that are available."  said Rides At The Door.

Rides At The Door is currently studying Political Science and Native American studies at the University of Montana in Missoula, MT. Rides At The Door is a Native American and member of the Blackfeet Tribe. He is the sixth Montanan to be selected for the Defender of Freedom Fellowship.

About Baucus' Defender of Freedom Fellowship

The Defender of Freedom Fellowship aims to help get more veterans involved in public service, take advantage of the experience veterans have to offer, and say thank you to Montana's veterans for all they've done.

The fellowship offers professional experience in the U.S. Senate for Montana veterans. Fellows work in Baucus' office on veterans and defense issues, researching, corresponding with constituents, attending congressional hearings, and working on new legislation. For example, previous Defender of Freedom Fellow, Charlie Cromwell, helped write the Veterans Employment Transition (VET Act). A provision in the bill was successfully signed into law giving employers a tax break for hiring veterans when they return from military service.  Another recent Defender of Freedom Fellow, Troy Carter, is an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran who helped Baucus draft the American Security and Freedom Fuels Act of 2010 which would allow the Pentagon to enter into long-term deals to buy biofuels, as long as they're made in the USA. The plan is designed to boost efforts like the Air Force's F-18 Green Hornet program which runs on camelina-based jet fuel grown in Montana.

Montana veterans interested in applying for the fellowship are invited to visit http://baucus.senate.gov/?p=opportunities for more information.

Contact: Kathy Weber (406) 329-7980 or Jennifer Donohue (202) 224-2651