Trent Dilks is a Veteran, father of four, and a ten-year advocate for Minnesota’s veterans—serving two tours

during Operation Iraqi Freedom (16 months in Iraq, 10 months in Kuwait), including as a machine gunner in

Iraq. A gravel-road kid who worked on hog farms and later in a meatpacking plant, he earned a B.S. in

Political Science and has spent over a decade as a Senior Veterans Advocate in St. Paul and Washington.

He helped craft Minnesota’s first Veterans Omnibus Bill and advanced property-tax relief for surviving

spouses, building award-winning, bipartisan grassroots networks and testifying in St. Paul to change how

things get done—clear goals, measured outcomes, real results. Away from the Capitol, Trent is an avid

outdoorsman—hunter and fisherman. He and his partner, Valerie, share a love of hunting, fishing, and

ATVing whenever they can.