Hundreds of Iowa veterans are meeting in Marshalltown this weekend. It’s the 86th annual state convention of the American Legion. Spokeswoman Kathy Nees says the Iowa Legionnaires will be discussing topics of importance to veterans at the gathering. Nees says those issues include benefits and how best to support the troops who are deployed right now and the families that are left at home. She says health care is always an important topic to current and former soldiers as well. Many Korea and Vietnam-era veterans were exposed to hazards that didn’t show up for ten or 15 years. Nees says they want to make sure current soldiers are “taken care of when they do get home.” Nees says up to 700 people from all over Iowa are expected to attend the Legionnaires conference, which is underway through Sunday. Members of the Legion are also very involved in a variety of programs that provide scholarships to Iowa’s young people. There’ll be a parade today (Saturday) in Marshalltown starting at 9 AM featuring what Nees says are the best color guards Iowa has to offer. The assembly will gather at the National Guard Armory on Summitt Street and encircle the Iowa Veterans Home grounds for what she says is “a most deserving audience.”