Blog post

Veterans Reflect on 6th Anniversary of Iraq War
Posted by Michelle McCarthy on March 20 2009

Today, Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the country's first and largest nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, issued the following statement to mark the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war. "As the war in Iraq enters its seventh year, we are beginning to draw down our combat forces.  The question is, are we ready to support our troops when they come home?  The short answer is no. Veterans and their families are struggling.  Just today, new unemployment figures were announced: over one in nine new veterans is unemployed.  We’re welcoming our troops home with a yellow ribbon and an unemployment check.  That’s unacceptable. We must ensure that every veteran has a chance to achieve success in the country they helped to defend.”    Click here to read an editorial from IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff marking the anniversary.