Sargent First Class Jon F. Worrall was retired from the U.S. Army after an IED exploded six feet away from the Humvee he was driving north of Baghdad in January of 2005. Eleven surgeries later and diagnosed with PTSD and a non-penetrating Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) he now counsels young soldiers returning with similar injuries under the Soldiers Helping Soldiers program.

Worrall would like whichever candidate is elected as the next President to address the issue of retirement and VA disability payments to the young soldiers who suffer TBI and other disabilities. While Worrall has worked for years and has a 401k and his Army retirement, younger soldiers are left with retirements as low as $125 per month and will have a hard time starting a career after suffering a traumatic brain injury.

As the 2012 election season approaches, what matters most to you?

Whether it’s the economy, unemployment, immigration, social issues, the war on terror, your family or something else, we want to know what's on your mind heading into this crucial election year. What should candidates be talking about? What's it going to take to win your vote? What stories should we be telling?

We're gathering responses from across the Web to highlight and help inform election coverage. To have your voice heard:

• Tweet @nbcpolitics with the hashtag #mattersmost and your location.
• Include #mattersmost in a public status update on Facebook along with your location. Like NBC Politics on Facebook to get a badge you can share on your wall.
• Add #mattersmost to a public Google Plus post.
• Upload a video on YouTube and include the tag #mattersmost and your location.
• Check in on Foursquare and include #mattersmost in a public tip.
• Tag your Instagram and Flickr images with #mattersmost.
• Email us at mattersmost@msnbc.com or submit your images and video here.

What matters most to us is your voice. Tell the world what #mattersmost to you, encourage your friends to do the same and check mattersmost.msnbc.com and nbcpolitics.com to learn more about the issues shaping Decision 2012.

To kick things off, NBCPolitics.com travelled to western Iowa to hear from Republican voters and activists about what matters most to them as they prepare to cast their votes for the GOP presidential nominee in the first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses on Jan. 3. We also spoke with one Democratic Party county chairwoman, Peggy Smalley, for her perspective on rural Audubon County politics.  Here's what matters most to them: