Some of the Iowa National Guard troops who are stationed in Afghanistan will be getting care packages from home — hand-delivered. U.S. Senator Tom Harkin is leaving today for what’s expected to be an 11-day trip that’ll take him to Pakistan, Slovenia and Afghanistan. Harkin’s planning to meet with the Iowa-based soldiers at the joint force headquarters in Afghanistan, delivering to them a batch of gifts donated by Iowans. He’s also slated to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to get his views on progress in the war on terror. In Slovenia, Harkin will be receiving that nation’s highest award, the Decoration of the Golden Order of Merit, for his work in forwarding democracy there. Harkin’s late mother emigrated from Slovenia to the U.S.