Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

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The following fatalities were identified by the Department of Defense on May 21:

CPT Jesse A. Ozbat
2LT Tobias C. Alexander
Spc Samuel T. Watts
Sgt Michael J. Knapp
Sgt Jabraun S. Knox

Operation Enduring Freedom

OFFICIAL DoD COUNT OF:

Troops Killed in Iraq: 4475
Troops Killed in Afghanistan: 1962
Wounded in Action: 48176
Army Suicides in April: 27

May 14

Posted by:
Christina Kim

IAVA Gathers Midwest Vets for Windy City Job Fair

In the News It’s well-known that your average job fair doesn’t work -- there are too many employers, it’s difficult to have meaningful interactions with recruiters and HR personnel, and you’re surrounded by job seekers of all different levels and experience.

May 9

Posted by:
Michelle McCarthy

VA Evades Blame As More Failures Reported at Texas VA Offices

In the News Today, as the Houston Chronicle revealed a staggering claims backlog at the Houston and Waco VA Regional Offices, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s first and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, released the following statement in response to testimony by the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs:

May 4

Posted by:
Jason Hansman

Mentor Up: Spend time with families of the fallen this Memorial Day

In the News Looking for a great way to give back this Memorial Day weekend? Our friends at Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) are looking for military mentors to work with the children of fallen service members at their Good Grief Camp for Young Survivors in Arlington, VA.

May 11

Posted by:
Blake Henderson

IAVA Honors Military Spouses

Opinion Service members enlist. Their families are drafted.The entire IAVA family is proud to celebrate Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Celebrated the Friday before Mother's Day since 1984, our country takes this day to acknowledge and thank military spouses for the sacrifices that they make.

April 2

Posted by:
John McGlothlin

Journal of a Stormer: Day Five

Opinion Earlier this year, thirty or so soldiers sat in a classroom in Vicenza, Italy on their way out of the Army. Collectively, this group spent over fifty years deployed, but we wouldn’t even spend a full week on preparing for civilian life, as the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) had been cut from the full five days into just over three. Jill Casey, our remarkable instructor, was professional about her disappointment in this, but she was clearly concerned about the cuts it forced her to make.

March 29

Posted by:
John McGlothlin

Journal of a Stormer: Day Four

Opinion A large sign at the end of the hallway reads “I Hire Veterans.” I don’t need a job, but I needed to know which senator in the Hart Office Building had decided to make such a visible statement of support on the issue that was driving our Storm the Hill program. It turned out that the sign, with the silhouettes of a saluting man and woman, took up most of the window at the entrance of Sen. Joe Manchin from West Virginia.

May 11

Posted by:
Moran Banai

Could There be a Physical Reason for the Military Suicide Epidemic?

Legislative Dispatches The U.S. Army released its monthly suicide numbers yesterday and the news is once again tragic: 27 soldiers may have taken their lives in April, one less than the 2012 high of 28 in March. Each suicide is its own tragedy, but the fact that the numbers continue to stay high, even as the Army has made fighting this suicide epidemic a top priority, raises many questions.

May 4

Posted by:
Moran Banai

What Do April’s BLS Unemployment Numbers Really Mean For New Veterans?

Legislative Dispatches This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released unemployment numbers for April. While the national unemployment rate stayed about the same, according to the government, the unemployment rate for new veterans dropped from 10.3 percent in March to 9.2 percent in April. For more than a year, IAVA has been fighting to lower new veterans’ unemployment and we would love to see a dramatic drop in the rates. But this drop, unfortunately, is not statistically significant.

April 19

Posted by:
Tom Tarantino

Fighting Veteran Unemployment

Legislative Dispatches In 2012 IAVA is tackling veterans’ unemployment on every front, in both the public and private sectors. We are asking the country to address new veteran unemployment in six ways:

May 22

Posted by:
Jim Drury

IAVA Daily News Brief 05.22.12

In the News Here are some of today's top stories and happenings that IAVA is tracking.

May 21

Posted by:
Jim Drury

IAVA Daily News Brief 05.21.12

In the News Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA. Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking?

May 21

Posted by:
Anthony Pike

Fleet Week in NYC

In the News On Thursday, May 10, I had the opportunity and honor to testify in front of the New York City Council Veterans’ Committee. I was there in behalf of IAVA about how the city should prepare for Fleet Week - which is taking place this year from May 23-30. Along with Terrance Holliday, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs, I provided recommendations to city leaders on how the city should best prepare to show NYC to the Fleet Week participants.

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CPT Jesse A. Ozbat2LT Tobias C. AlexanderSpc Samuel T. WattsSgt Michael J. KnappSgt Jabraun S. Knox

CPT Jesse A. Ozbat
2LT Tobias C. Alexander
Spc Samuel T. Watts
Sgt Michael J. Knapp
Sgt Jabraun S. Knox