Bill Van Gerpen, elected to a fourth term in the South Dakota House in November, has resigned from the Legislature to remain on active duty with the National Guard.

Bill Van Gerpen, elected to a fourth term in the South Dakota House in November, has resigned from the Legislature to remain on active duty with the National Guard. Van Gerpen is a chaplain with the Iowa Air National Guard's 185th Air Refueling Wing. His tour has been extended, which means he would be gone for the entire session. "It wouldn't be fair to my constituents to have an empty seat throughout the whole session," he said. As chaplain he talks with families of soldiers and airmen who have died overseas, counsels families and briefs soldiers on their way to Iraq, Afghanistan or Kosovo. Van Gerpen, who had been named chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, is unsure whether he will run for the Legislature in the future. Governor Mike Rounds will make an appointment to fill the seat.