Support Our Vets - Watch this Ad

Paul Riekoff and the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America reminds us that we have an obligation to remind our elected officials that they have an obligation to ensure that America honors and cherishes her veterans!

Dear IAVA Supporter,

This past week, IAVA Supporters stepped up in a big way. We asked for your help in getting our new television ad on the air, and thanks to you, it started running on national networks this morning. To all of you who chipped in - thank you.

The ad, titled 'Demand Action,' calls on both Congress and the President to get the overdue budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs approved. 'Demand Action' directs people to IAVAAction.org, where they can add their name to a growing list of Americans who are demanding immediate action.

Click here to watch the ad and put your name on the statement.

Over the next several days, the ad will be running in major national markets, including Washington, DC, where lawmakers can see it for themselves. This will be a huge step towards shifting the debate and getting our veterans the care they need.

But there's more work to do. Let Washington know that you're standing with our veterans. Sign the statement, and tell five people to do the same.

Ten days have passed since Congress missed the deadline for passing the VA budget, and our veterans are still waiting. Now that the ad is running, Congress will be forced to focus once again on the issue of VA funding.

Your continued support is essential for bringing these issues to the forefront. Thanks to you, we're going to get this message across loud and clear.

Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America


QuestionItNow-Still In Iraq

Support Our Troops - Help a Vet with College Debt

I received the following email today.

"Dear IAVA Supporter,

Vets Bill Update In June, I asked you for your support on a bill that would help soldiers return to school after their deployments, and you made your voices heard loud and clear. Many of you contacted your representatives in Congress, and we've made remarkable progress.

When I first contacted you, we had three lawmakers co-sponsoring the VETS Bill in Congress. Today, we have fifty-eight.

This bill has gotten some great press. Check out the article from the San Francisco Chronicle below.

This is a crucial piece of legislation. Most students don't have to begin paying their loans until six months after graduation. But when I deployed to Iraq with the Army National Guard I was out of school for over six months. That meant I had used up my grace period, and would have to start paying back the loans the day I graduated.

As you can imagine, this put me in a difficult position. And I was definitely not the only one. During the month that Congress was in recess, from early August until this past Tuesday, over 20,000 Reserve and National Guard soldiers returned home. And many of them will be attempting to return to school this very week. This bill will provide vital protections for these returning students, including guaranteed re-enrollment and extended grace periods for loan repayment.

Getting a bill through Congress is a long and arduous task. But with concerned supporters like you behind us, we're doing just that. The VETS Bill will help to reassure men and women in uniform that serving their country opens doors to higher education, instead of closing them.

Check out the article below, and keep an eye on your inbox. We're going to be making a major grassroots push now that Congress is back in session, and we'll need your help.

Thank you for your continued support."

Sincerely,

Patrick Campbell
Iraq Veteran
Legislative Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
QuestionItNow Blogs

Support Our Troops - Implement Dole-Shalala Commission Recommendations

I received the following message today. Why do we continue to allow our civilian leaders to speak hollow slogans such as "support our troops" while the needs of our battle scarred veterans go unmet?

"Wednesday, President Bush addressed the largest gathering of veterans in the country - the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Kansas City. Instead of taking the opportunity to discuss the urgent issues facing veterans today, the president offered a history lesson -- and actually compared Iraq to Vietnam. This was an ideal opportunity for the President to show real leadership on the crisis facing veterans' healthcare, but he failed to do so.

Plenty of people are making arguments about the historical accuracy of the President's Iraq-Vietnam comparison. We are more frustrated by what Bush did not say.

We have often admonished the President for not addressing veterans' issues. This speech today represents a new low. After taking credit for increasing the veterans' budget, even after years of underfunding the VA, the President was strangely silent on the real issues facing new veterans, including naming a replacement for Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson who steps down in October, and implementing the recommendations of the Dole-Shalala Commission to fix the nation's military and veterans' hospitals.

Take a minute now to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper using our online tool. Demand that Congress and the President take real action now to implement the Dole-Shalala recommendations.

It only takes a few minutes, and at the link above we've included some talking points you can use in your letter.

What happened to all the outrage and promises after Walter Reed? The words "Dole-Shalala" were not even mentioned in the President's speech. The Dole-Shalala Commission's Report set out six clear recommendations to be implemented (most by the President), and now they are gathering dust on a shelf somewhere while the President and Congress are on vacation for the summer.

So if we're going to talk about the legacy of Vietnam, we need to remember what happens when a nation fails to take care of its veterans. We cannot abandon another generation of combat vets to untreated mental health problems, substance abuse, unemployment, homelessness, and suicide. As President Bush said today, "History does remind us that there are lessons applicable to our time. And we can learn something from history." Let us learn that the men and women who have fought in Iraq, Afghanistan, (and all wars) deserve to be provided for. Not just used as a backdrop for another political photo op.

Make your voice heard today .

Thank you for your continued support."

Sincerely,

Paul

Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

QuestionItNow Blogs